February 2023

Paedophile sexually abused children for over decade

A paedophile who sexually abused children for more than a decade has been jailed for eight years.

Robert Codling, 58, of Princes Road Wisbech, targeted girls as young as seven years old.

The victims, all of whom were known to him, were abused at an address in the town between 2007 and 2019.

During this period, Codling would openly perform sexual acts on himself in front of the children, and would touch them sexually, calling it “playfighting”.

The abuse came to light in 2019 when one of the victims confided in someone close to her, who then reported it to the police

Codling denied the allegations, but at Cambridge Crown Court on February 9, he was found guilty of six counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child aged 13 to 15 and exposure.

He was sentenced to eight years and two months in prison.