Young girls’ abuser who kept indecent photos 
is jailed for 10 years

Peter Clarke’s offending against the youngster, committed when they were between the ages of six and seven, and seven and nine, only came to light years later when they spoke up about what he had done to them.

By then Clarke had already served eight months in prison imposed at Bradford Crown Court in 2009 for inciting another 14-year-old girl to sexual activity relating to him “grooming” her over the internet, and for having indecent images on his computer.

Rupert Doswell told Leeds Crown Court yesterday when the offences against the two girls were reported last year, police went to Clarke’s home address in Camberley Way, Pudsey, and found not only two photographs of one of the girls but further indecent images on CDs and his computer.

One of the girls told police when she had tried to resist Clarke on one occasion he produced a small knife and threatened to kill her father if she said anything. She was scared of him and tried to avoid being anywhere in his company after that.

Clarke, 60, admitted one offence of oral rape, three of sexual assault, two assault by penetration, one of getting a child to engage in sexual activity, one of taking photographs and 12 of possessing indecent images.

Rob Mairs, representing Clarke, said the sexual offences were committed some years ago and he did not accept making any threat with a knife.

He did not understand what made him commit such offences but accepted he had an attraction to girls of that age and was willing to work with the authorities and on courses in prison to address his problems.

Jailing Clarke, Judge Scott Wolstenholme said it was an aggravating feature of the case that he had taken and kept photographs of one of his victims and the fact he had continued to download indecent images of children after his last custodial sentence showed he had not learnt his lesson.