Here is Judge Francis Gilbert QC now resides at Exeter crown court. He is a judge who seems to think that the abuse of children is not a serious enough crime to warrant a custodial sentence. He fails to understand the long lasting impact these evil offences have on the young and vulnerable child survivors. The sentences are quite simply a insult to the victims involved.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC you are hereby NAMED AND SHAMED !

Below are some examples and quotes of some of his more questionable judgements. By clicking the red link, you will be taken to the full profile on each case

July 2011 – Reading gang rape members freed !

Six British footballers jailed for gang raping two 12-year-old girls in a park have been freed after judges ruled the girls ‘wanted to have sex’.  The men, aged between 19 and 21, had sex with the youngsters in a park. But despite being handed two-year jail terms in March at Reading Crown Court after admitting various counts of rape, they were freed. Lord Justice Moses, hearing the case with Justice Holroyde and Judge Francis Gilbert, branded their original imprisonment ‘excessive’ in what was a ‘difficult’ case.

December 2009 – Man who molested a sleeping boy avoids jail

A PAEDOPHILE who sexually assaulted a boy aged 15 while his victim slept has been given a suspended jail sentence. He has previous convictions for offences including an indecent assault on a female and possessing indecent photographs. Judge Francis Gilbert reminded King that at an earlier hearing he had given a Goodyear Indication that he would not be jailed immediately if he pleaded guilty. Result : Suspended sentence

April 2010 – Only 3 years jail for paedophile who abused girl, 5

A PAEDOPHILE sexually abused a girl of five after inviting her to his home to play with his young son. Paul Ronan also admitted downloading around 2,000 child pornography images onto his computer. The pictures, including some movie clips, were in all five categories, category one being the least serious and category five the worst. Judge Francis Gilbert jailed Ronan for just 3 years – Out in 15 months 

August 2011 – Anthony Milsom

Described by the trial judge as a “manipulative and predatory” sex offender, was jailed indefinitely for public protection. Mr Justice Simon, sitting at the Court of Appeal with Lord Justice Moses and Judge Francis Gilbert, overturned the original sentence. He said it did not justify an open-ended sentence from which he might never be released. 

Police found more than 5,100 indecent drawings, more than 200 photographs, 127,700 still images, together with 500 films and 188 home-made videos at his home. The court was told Milsom had a fascination with the murder, abduction and the rape of young female children, and that police had found a book written and illustrated by Milsom called ‘How to kidnap young girls’. 

A bag was found at his property containing newspaper cuttings of high profile abduction cases including Milly Dowler, Holly and Jessica Wells, and Madeleine McCann. A child mannequin was also found wearing children’s underwear tied up with a skipping rope hanging from the ceiling of his home. Videos showed Milsom whipping and kicking it to the recorded sounds of a child screaming.

November 2007 – Paedophile ‘being a danger isn’t an offence’

Anthony Davies also found himself lucky enough to be before Judge Gilbert. He’d broken a Sexual Offences Prevention Order by persuading four underage children to go with him on a fishing trip without their parents’ knowledge. Davies acquired the SOPO by being caught with 1,200 indecent images of children. But despite warnings from experts about Davies representing a danger to children, the judge eschewed the route available to him of banging the paedophile up for five years, and chose instead to let him get help. “Being a danger to children is not an offence” Gilbert mysteriously concluded.

In 2009 Davies was sent back to prison after admitting he lured a young girl into a bedroom.

2005 – Paedophiles allowed to go on holiday – Then abscond !

Judge Gilbert granted the request of two paedophile defendants Palmer & Tapper to take a holiday during their trial. The reason for a holiday, they told Francis Gilbert, was stress. The gay paedophile couple, who ran a landlord and letting agency, assaulted their young victims after finding them homes when they came out of social services care. They forced them to strip off and take part in sex acts as the price of them getting somewhere to live. They have both since been arrested and jailed

November 2012 – Jailed for just 3 years – Out in 14 months !

A Devon university researcher who was tried for historical indecent assaults after a victim recognised him on a bus has been jailed for just three years by Judge Francis Gilbert. Leonard Davey, 64, of Higher Wear Road, Exeter, was found guilty of six indecent assaults against one girl and three on another in the 1960s and ’70s. Exeter Crown Court heard Davey abused one victim over 13 years, when she was aged eight to 21.

September 2012 – Convicted Paedophile filmed himself abusing children – Jailed for just 30 months

A already convicted sex tourist has been jailed after he filmed himself abusing children in the street during a holiday in Tunisia. Paedophile Peter Williams, 52, was able to travel abroad despite being on the Sex Offenders’ Register and having served a jail sentence for child abuse images.  Judge Francis Gilbert jailed Williams of Seaton for just 30 months, but he will be out in 15 months time

August 2012 – Man had ‘library’ of abusive images of children – NO JAIL

A ‘DEPRAVED’ computer user who built up a huge library of child abuse images has been sent on a sex offenders’ course. Philip Parry, 59, was found with more than 2,000 images including 373 which showed adults having sex with children as young as three and 51 which showed sadism or bondage. He was ordered to attend the Internet Sex Offenders’ Treatment Programme as a condition of a two-year supervision order by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC

June 2003 – 22,000 indecent of images gets pervert NO JAIL

The prosecutor said that more than 1,000 of the images showed the worst category of sexual abuse of children. Judge Francis Gilbert QC took what he described as an exceptional course and imposed a three-year community rehabilitation order.

Febuary 2011 – Sex with underage schoolgirl – NO JAIL

A MAN of 20 who had sex with an under-age girl has been told he was lucky not to be jailed for several years.  Luscombe, now 21 and of Lancaster Gardens, Whitleigh, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16. Judge Francis Gilbert QC told him: “This had more to do with satisfying your drunken and drug-fuelled lust than any romantic feeling.” He sentenced Luscombe to a suspended sentence

September 2008 – Man is spared jail for sexual assault on child

A FORMER bus driver has been told his indecent assault on a young girl would not result in a jail sentence because it occurred 28 years ago. Brian Milton, from Kirton Place, Efford, appeared before Judge Francis Gilbert QC at Plymouth Crown Court on the charge of indecently assaulting the girl.

November 2010 – Jailed for attempted grooming

A FATHER of three has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for attempting to sexually groom a 13-year-old girl over the internet. Trevor Eric Spicer, 41 of Thanckes Drive, Torpoint, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday. He had already pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Judge Gilbert sentenced him to just 16 months in prison

March 2004 – Scout leader had child abuse images – NO JAIL

A Devon scout leader had hundreds of pornographic pictures of teenage boys on his home computer, a court heard. Norman Kelway admitted distributing an indecent picture of a boy, making an indecent photo of a child, and possessing indecent photos of children. Kelway, of Erlstoke Close, Plymouth, was put on probation under a three-year community rehabilitation order.

April 2011 – “Pillar of the Community” had child abuse images – NO JAIL

A former school governor and ex-president of the Plymouth Magic Circle downloaded nearly 2,000 pornographic images of children. Mansell, aged 59, told police the youngsters were aged 13-14 and admitted he looked at the pictures for sexual gratification. But police later proved many of the children were considerably younger.  Judge Francis Gilbert allowed him to walk free with a suspended sentence

October 2010 – Man admits filming up schoolgirl skirts and taking pictures of woman undressing and having sex

Judge Gilbert sentenced Mark Butler to a community order

Febuary 2012 – Plymouth child porn pervert posed as girl of 10 in online chat-room

A MAN found with thousands of indecent images of children on his computer posed as a girl of 10 when talking to other men in internet chat-rooms, a court heard. Fergal Kirby encouraged them to perform lewd acts for him on their web-cams. Judge Francis Gilbert QC said Kirby, of Walpole Street, Chester, deserved full credit for his guilty pleas and jailed him for just 12 months – Released after 6

Click the links to see profiles on other lenient judges

Judge Julian Hall,    

Judge Graham Cottle,    

Judge Mary Mowat,    

Judge Peter Fox, 

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth, 

Judge Jonathan Haworth

Judge Jeffrey Rucker

Judge Gabriel Hutton

Judge Anthony Russell QC