Nov 1999

Man jailed for sex assaults

A man has been jailed for a series of sexual assaults on a young boy.

Franklyn Dimond also stored obscene images of the 12-year-old on computer disks and had other images of boys aged between two and 19 he had downloaded on to his computer, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Friday .

But it was only when Dimond’s homosexual lover checked one of the discs that his catalogue of abuse came to light and police were told.

Dimond, 48, of Avondale Road, Ipswich, was jailed for a total of six years after he admitted two charges of indecent assault, one of gross indecency and another serious sexual offence when he appeared in court for sentence.

He also asked for 14 other matters involving obscene images to be considered.

Judge Brian Watling QC told Dimond: “This is a disgraceful case because it involves a young boy who was 12 at the time. You were 46 or 47.”

And he added: “You have corrupted that boy, and only time will tell what harm your actions have caused him.”

Gerard Pounder, prosecuting, said the offences took place at a house in Dovercourt where Dimond was living.

On June 23 this year, Dimond’s partner found a number of computer discs with the name of the boy on them and a description. The man told police and, after his arrest, Dimond made a full confession, Mr Pounder said.

Paul Hyam, mitigating, said Dimond formed a relationship with the boy and the abuse the child suffered went on for about a year before it was discovered.

There was no coercion, but Dimond knew what he was doing was wrong, Mr Hyam said.

“Mercifully, the boy is relatively unscathed by his experiences,” Mr Hyam added.

Apart from the prison sentence, Dimond was told to stay on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.