Paedophile pensioner, 72, gets 20 years after victims break silence

Arthur Bierton, now 72, committed his first offences in Leeds just months after being released from jail, where he had served a sentence for child rape.

Bierton, who later moved to Thirsk, was convicted at Teesside Crown Court of abusing two young girls in the 1980s and 90s.

Both were under ten when Bierton first assaulted them and they were so traumatised they only reported the abuse to North Yorkshire Police last year.

The victims were forced to relive their trauma in court due to Bierton’s - who police said showed “absolutely no remorse” - “cowardly denial”.

Bierton, from the Stockton Road area of Thirsk, stood trial for 14 charges of sexual abuse, including three counts of raping one of the girls.

He claimed he had a medical condition that meant he could not have carried out some of the offences.

When police charged him with the rapes, he simply replied: “Not medically possible”.

He continued to deny the other charges detectives put to him, saying “impossible” and “definitely not”.

He also denied he had committed the child rape he was previously imprisoned for, claiming he had only pleaded guilty for a lighter sentence.

However, a jury convicted him of all 14 counts on Wednesday, following a week-long trial.

Afterwards, Sergeant Andy Palmer of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The verdict shows Arthur Bierton for what he is and always has been – a vile paedophile who has absolutely no remorse for his victims.”

He said his victims had shown strength and dignity throughout.

He said: “It’s difficult to imagine having to live with the harrowing impact of Bierton’s offending for such a long time. But to make matters worse, Bierton’s cowardly denial means they’ve had to relive this during a criminal trial.

“Their courage and co-operation have ensured that a man with a horrific history of sexual offending will now spend a very long time in prison, where he belongs.”