May 2023

Man jailed for 12 years for sexual offences against children

A 65-year-old man has been jailed for more than 10 years for assaulting children over a 26-year period.

Martin Arnold, of Bristol Road Lower, Weston-super-Mare, appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday 26 May) after pleading guilty to 23 counts of sexual offences against six victims and one count of possessing pornographic images of children.

Arnold was handed a 12-year prison sentence as well as a being ordered to register on the sexual offenders register for life. He was also handed a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The court heard how between 1996 and 2003 and again in 2020, Arnold sexually assaulted young girls on multiple occasions in various locations across Somerset.

During this time, the defendant groomed the children with money, gifts, and day trips.

Arnold was arrested on in February 2021 and prohibited images of children were recovered from laptops seized by police.