Sex-abuse grandfather aged 69 gets six years

Robert Sutcliffe

A DEPRAVED grandfather who invited his gay partner to join in the sexual abuse of his own grandson has been jailed for six years.

The 69-year-old Halifax man, who cannot be named to protect the child’s identity, groomed the 12-year-old by buying him computer games and mobile phone top-ups, but after starting to abuse the boy himself the grandfather then took indecent photographs of the youngster to send to his gay lover.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how the homosexual grandfather took the images using a mobile phone and his partner then went to his home where they both performed sex acts with the boy.

The widower showed no emotion as Judge Jonathan Rose branded his behaviour as “utter depravity” which could not be justified by any right-thinking person.

The judge said: “You treated him, as the pre-sentence report indicates, as a sex object and that indicates that you have no regard for him as a human being, as a child, still less your grandson.”

The abuse only came to light last year after a comment by the pensioner’s gay partner led to the police being contacted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

During his police interviews he suggested that the boy enjoyed what happened. Although his barrister Michelle Colborne said he did not maintain that position, Judge Rose said it indicated “moral bankruptcy”.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford told the court that the victim became moody and bad-tempered over the period of the offending which lasted more than a year.

“He felt sad and disgusted because it was his grandfather who was committing offences against him,” said Mr Sandiford.

The grandfather admitted sample offences of sexual activity with a child family member and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

After serving half his six-year sentence he will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he has also been banned from ever working wth youngsters.

Related topics: