June 2016

Mum followed OAP after he committed lewd act in front of her 8-year-old daughter

A REGISTERED West Wales sex offender has been jailed for exposing himself in front of a mother and her eight year-old daughter while they were shopping.

The incident was the second lewd act that Barry Hollingsworth has committed in the last seven months — having previously exposed himself to a child of the same age at Carmarthen’s St Catherine’s Walk shopping centre in November last year.

The latest offence occurred in the Original Factory Shop in Charles Street, Milford Haven on Wednesday, June 1.

Hollingsworth, aged 74, of Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, pleaded guilty to the charge of exposing his genitals to cause alarm or distress when he appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Prosecutor Sian Vaughan said: “It was around 1.30pm when the mother and her eight-year-old daughter were in the factory shop in Milford Haven.

“The defendant was seen moving around the store and his behaviour was furtive.

District judge Nigel Hodkinson was told the daughter had been trying on shoes and it was then that Hollingsworth exposed himself.

Prosecutor Mrs Vaughan added: “His shorts were undone and the mother moved the daughter and herself away from the defendant.

“She distanced themselves and saw him go behind some clothing and readjust his clothing.”

He then left the shop and the mother informed staff and went back to her car. In the car park she saw Hollingsworth near the car and asked a passerby to watch her daughter while she attempted to follow him.

She took pictures of him from behind but was, however, unable to catch up with him as he approached the Peacocks store.

Mrs Vaughan said: “The mother was concerned that had her child or another child been unaccompanied she didn’t know what Hollingsworth would have done.

“He was oblivious to the mother and seemed fixated on the daughter.”

Defence solicitor Ian Hopkins said Hollingsworth was subject to an order placed on him in November. This was referring to the previous Carmarthen incident.

However, he said he had not fully started the community order with rehabilitation activity requirement and community sex offender group program – which he was ordered to carry out after his November court appearance.

He argued custody would not serve Hollingsworth’s needs to rehabilitate. But judge Hodkinson said: “The offence is of a serious nature and taking into account the age of the child and where it took place, along with bearing in mind your record.”

Hollingsworth has previous convictions including exposure in 1984, indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl in 2004, exposure in 2009, possessing indecent images, also in 2009, and exposure in July last year.

He has served various prison sentences for his crimes. Judge Hodkinson added: “You are going to custody today, custody is the only option.”

Hollingsworth was jailed for 20 weeks, half of which will be served and the rest out on licence. He was ordered to be placed on the sex offender register for a further seven years.

He was also ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.

December 2015

Pensioner with long history of sex offending exposed himself to 8-yr-old girl in busy shop

A PENSIONER with a history of sexual offences, exposed himself in a busy Carmarthen shop, close to an eight-year-old girl, a court heard.

Registered sex offender Barry Hollingsworth, 74, was spared jail after his defence solicitor argued he had sought help from his GP and accepted he had “a significant problem”.

Hollingsworth had been in St Catherine’s Walk on Saturday, November 21 at 3.15pm, when he went into the Tiger gift shop, unzipped his trousers and exposed himself.

“Police were called after he was detained by the centre security guard,” said David Folland, prosecuting.

“His penis was protruding from his open trouser zip when they arrived.

“An eight-year-old girl would have had a full view if she’d looked up from what she was doing.

“The defendant told police he had a long term problem.”

Hollingsworth, of Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock, had previous convictions including exposure in 1984, indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl in 2004, exposure in 2009, possessing indecent images, also in 2009 and exposure in July this year.

He has served various prison sentences for his crimes, including 16 weeks for the offence in July.

His solicitor Alex Scott acknowledged the custody threshold had been crossed. 

“He’s had very little therapy in recent times,” he said.

“Thankfully this incident was relatively short lived and there is no suggestion the girl was singled out, targeted or followed.

“He’s acknowledged he has a significant problem in his life and he has urges beyond his control.

“This is an issue he wants to address.”

The probation service recommended rehabilitation programmes rather than custody.

District Judge David Parsons said that committing the offence soon after being released from a previous one would normally see a custody point of 26 weeks.

“Do I make that sentence today or do I follow the probation recommendation?” he said.

“They make the obvious point that 26 weeks offers relatively short public protection and they recognise therapeutic work might be of the wider public interest.”

He opted to give Hollingsworth a three year community order with rehabilitation activity requirement and a community sex offender group program.

He must pay a £180 criminal court charge, £85 prosecution costs and a £60 surcharge and register as a sex offender for the next five years.

“The outcome for the public is more favourable and we are showing intent to do something about it,” added District Judge Parsons. “If you commit further offences I ask the case come back to me. This is a last opportunity for you.”

January 2014

Pembroke Dock paedophile ‘rubbed his groin as he watched child on beach’

A paedophile from Pembroke Dock “incapable of changing” has been jailed for two years for twice breaking a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Barry William Hollingsworth, aged 72, told police he could not control his behaviour.

Hollingsworth, of Old Coronation School, Meyrick Street, was punished by the courts in 1984, 1989, 2004 and 2009 for indecent exposure, indecent assault on a girl aged under 14 and possessing indecent images of children.

Swansea crown court heard on Friday that on the last occasion Hollingsworth was made the subject of a SOPO, which banned him from going near children.

Janet Gedrych, prosecuting, said on July 19 Hollingsworth was seen following a group of schoolchildren at Heatherton Park.

He seemed to pay particular attention to one young child and staff alerted the park manager.

Hollingsworth returned to the park a week later and the manager called the police.

He was arrested for breaching the SOPO and told officers, “I know I’m not supposed to be here but I am.”

Miss Gedrych said police decided to keep Hollingsworth under surveillance and followed him as he took a train to Penally.

From there he walked to a nearby beach and placed a towel close to where a girl of about six years of age was playing.

Officers secretly filmed him as he appeared to rub his groin area.

Police became so concerned they broke off the surveillance and arrested him.

Hollingsworth told them he could not live by the conditions of the SOPO. He said he received sexual gratification by looking at the girl and fantasising.about her.

He admitted both breaches.

His barrister, Paul Hobson, said he had not actually touched any of the children.

Judge Keith Thomas said Hollingsworth had been through “the entire court system” and had completed various prison sentences and courses and counselling sessions.

“He finds it impossible to overcome his sexual urges but nothing deters him.

“He is incapable of changing and he represents a high risk of causing harm to children.

“It is frightening and disturbing and these matters cause great concern,” added the judge.

Hollingsworth was reminded that he was still under the SOPO and would be on the child sex offences register for life.

July 2009

Pensioner exposed himself to child

AN OAP has been imprisoned for exposing himself to a child.

On Saturday May 16, Barry William Hollingsworth, of Tenby Pembrokeshire, was seen in the children’s underwear department of Next in Northwich.

Chester Crown Court heard a mum was shopping with her seven-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son and saw a man crouching by the clothes stand. The daughter then announced: “Mummy he’s showing me his willy”

The woman looked and sawHollingsworth had his penis exposed. She shouted and he ran off, was chased across a car park and later arrested.

The 67-year-old admitted being at the shop but denied exposing himself. Police subsequently uncovered 15 indecent images, six real images and nine `pseudo’ images, on Hollingsworth’s personal computer. Five of the images were Level 4, six Level 3 and four Level 1, with Level 5 being the most serious.

Judge Elgan Edwards said: “It’s terrible a mother can’t go shopping and guarantee the safety of her children.” Holingsworth’s internet search entries included cartoon porn, animal porn and indecent images of girls. When questioned about the findings, Hollingsworth declined to comment. The offences were committed while he was under licence from prison for indecently assaulting a girl under 14 years of age three times in Swansea. In October 2004 he was jailed for five years for the assaults but released on extended licence in December 2007.

After the Next offence he was recalled to prison on May 18. The court heard Hollingsworth had two previous convictions for indecent exposure, in 1984 and 1989. Brandishing him “revolting and disgusting”, Judge Edwards jailed him for six months for exposure and 12 months for the indecent images, to run consecutively after the sentence for his previous offence finishes. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and disqualified from working with children for life.

Oct 2004

Man ‘groomed’ little girl for sex

A TENBY man who ‘groomed’ a little girl for sex has been jailed for five years.

Barry Hollingsworth, aged 62, was also made the subject of a three-year extension to the sentence which means that after his eventual release he will be liable to be recalled until the end of 2012.

Hollingsworth, of Upper Hill Park, Tenby, had been convicted by a jury at Swansea Crown Court of indecently assaulting the six-year-old on three separate occasions. But he was cleared of attempted rape and one additional charge of indecent assault on the direction of the judge.

After the verdicts it emerged Hollingsworth had previous convictions for exposing himself to ten-year-old girls.

Judge Gerald Price ordered Hollingsworth to register with the police as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The jury heard how Hollingsworth took advantage of his job to take an interest in the girl. Frank Phillips, prosecuting, said the offences first came to light in 2001. But they were not reported to the police at the time.

Two years later the girl repeated the allegations and this time the police became involved.

Mr Phillips said Hollingsworth had effectively begun ‘grooming’ the girl for sex by indecently assaulting her and then rewarding her with ice cream.

It was difficult to be sure how many times he had assaulted her because the girl herself could not be precise.

A clue to Hollingsworth’s intentions could be drawn from the fact that he maintained contact with the family even after the initial allegations surfaced.