Case No 2024/01343/B4 - [2025] EWCA Crim 1370

C1 was aged between 12 and 13 at the time of the appellant's offending. C2, C3 and C4 were aged between 12 and 14 years at the time of the offending, and C5 (the youngest) was aged 10 or 11. The offences occurred between May 1998 and March 2001. The majority of the abuse took place at the appellant's home address.

The appellant married the mother of C1 and C2 in 1999. In 2019, C1, then in his early 30s, disclosed to his friend and wife that that he had been sexually abused by the appellant and that he had seen the appellant sexually abuse others. He later told his brother, C2. In January 2020, C2 reported the offending to the police and then told his mother.

We summarise the offending as follows. Over the course of time, the appellant used to ask C1 for a kiss. He then started to ask C1 questions about C1's penis and asked to see it. He told C1 that the more he used his penis, the bigger it would become. The appellant tried to touch C1's penis and make it hard (count 2). There were occasions when the appellant put C1's penis in his mouth (count 3). The appellant started to show C1 his penis and to ask C1 to touch it. It progressed with the appellant asking C1 to put his penis in C1's mouth (count 4). The first time he did that, the appellant was coming out of the bathroom and C1 was coming out of his bedroom. He asked C1 to give him a "blowjob", which C1 did. At first C1 would say, "No", but eventually he would agree to do so. C1 did not let the appellant come in his mouth.

C2 told police that the appellant made him feel special and gave him cigarettes. The appellant asked him about his sexuality. The appellant took his penis out in front of C2 and asked C2 to touch it, which he did (count 7). The appellant told C2 that it was normal. The appellant then asked for C2 to take his penis out. On another occasion, when everyone was in bed and C2 was watching television on the sofa, the appellant took out his penis and made C2 put the appellant's penis in mouth (count 9). The appellant then told C2 to undress and he put C2's penis in his mouth (count 8).

One afternoon when C2 and the appellant were alone in the house, the appellant pressed his groin against C2's bottom while C2 was playing pool. The appellant said, "I need to see if you like it in the bum" (count 10).

In 2021 C3 reported to the police that he had been molested by the appellant. He went on a fishing trip with C1 and then went back to C1's house. Once there, he saw C1 performing oral sex on the appellant in the bedroom. The next thing he knew, the appellant had sat on the bed next to him, undone his trousers and was touching C3's genitalia and masturbating him (count 12).

C4 was C3's twin brother. He reported matters to the police in 2022. The appellant used to ask C4 sexual questions and took him fishing a few times. One time, C4 went to knock for C1 and C2 but they were out. The appellant kissed C4 whilst the appellant played with himself. Just as the appellant was about to ejaculate, he put his hand on the back of C4's head and thrust his head down towards his genital area and told C4 to swallow (count 14).

C5 was another friend of C1. He was interviewed in June 2021. He used to stay over at C1's house at weekends. They used to do sexual dares with the appellant. At the time C5 thought it was fun, as at that age he did not know about sexual rights and wrongs. It went on for weeks or months. The appellant got C5 to masturbate him (count 20). When the dare was made, the appellant used to suck C5's penis, and C5 would suck the appellant's penis (counts 21 and 22).

The appellant had one previous conviction from 1995 (when he was aged 23) for an offence of gross indecency with a child, for which he was fined. In 2018 he received a conditional discharge for failing to comply with notification requirements.