H was a long-time friend of the victim’s family, having known the victim’s father since childhood. The victim was 7-8 years old at the time of the offences and suffered from learning difficulties. In the mid-2000s, the victim would go to H’s address for sleepovers as he was a friend of H’s young daughter. While there, and on three occasions, H sexually assaulted the victim and exposed himself to them. The first offence involved H getting on top of the victim while he was playing a game with the daughter, and then fondling his penis while the daughter was in the room. The second involved the victim and the daughter getting into H’s bed during a thunderstorm, and H again fondling the victim in a similar way. On the third occasion, the daughter had been picked up by her mother, leaving the victim and H alone in H’s house – H exposed himself to the victim, who rejected these advances.
The victim did not tell anyone about the abuse until New Year’s Eve 2022. On this date he broke down in tears and told his girlfriend what had happened. The next day, he told his father and mother, who reported the abuse to the police. The victim said that he had not felt able to tell anyone due to fear of being thought less of or being judged, and for fear of H. However, he had mustered the courage to speak up so that others would not be abused and because he had seen others share details of their own abuse.
Ben Wild prosecuted the case. He was able to adduce a previous conviction of H’s related to another sex offence against young boy, which had occurred 10 years earlier. He also successfully resisted a hearsay application to adduce an undermining account by H’s daughter.
After a trial at Canterbury Crown Court involving pre-recorded evidence and an intermediary for the victim, H was convicted of all three counts.
