July 2003

Abuser jailed for four years

MAN accused of sexually abusing three boys brought his trial to a swift end by pleading guilty to most of the charges _ and was jailed for four years.

Before a jury could hear prosecution evidence against David Williams, 37, he admitted five charges of indecency with a child and four of indecent assault on a child under 16.

All related to incidents involving three boys between 1994 and 2003.

Two further indecent assaults were left to lie on file, while a not guilty verdict was recorded on an allegation of assault with intent to commit gross indecency.

Williams, of Hillesley, had initially denied all the charges. But the following day the former computer operator had changed his mind and he asked to be sentenced immediately.

“He told me he was unwilling to put the witnesses through the unpleasant task of giving evidence in court”, said Rupert Lowe, defending.

Ray Tully, prosecuting, told Judge Jamie Tabor QC the defendant had been responsible for persistent sexual abuse.

“One of the boys said that he had been abused from the age of eight until he was about 16 when he was big enough to say no”, he said.

In mitigation Mr Lowe said Williams was “a man of good character” who had himself endured an abusive childhood.

“He grew up with very low self-esteem and self-worth,” he said. “He drank to escape any difficult situation which he didn’t know how to meet or answer.

“He had an inability to take responsibility for his own actions and suddenly he was put in to contact with these young lads.”

Jailing Williams, Judge Tabor said he would be on licence for three years after his release.

“The period of this abuse was a long one, years and years, and the frequency of abuse was high,” he said. “You have damaged all three of your victims, though to what extent we don’t know and they don’t know.

“What we do know is that sometimes those who have been abused sometimes go on to abuse others – though I’m sure it won’t happen in this case”.

Williams will be placed on the sex offenders register after release.