March 2011

Paedo at the fair

EVIL John Wrey gazes at kiddies in a fairground — just three years after he was convicted of sickening child rapes.

The 54-year-old paedophile was seen strolling past rides and staring at children as he spent hours wandering around a busy city centre.

Wrey, part of a paedophile gang, was jailed for 5½ years for a string of horrific sex offences.

The judge branded Wrey “disgusting” — and caged the gang for a total of 50 years for abusing 28 girls as young as five.

But Wrey, from Hayle, Cornwall, served just three years before being freed on licence. He is currently staying at a 19-bed bail hostel in Plymouth, Devon, where he is free to come and go.

On one outing he left at 9.30am, signed in at a probation office and walked into the city centre.

He was seen staring at kids on funfair rides before visiting aTesco and going back to his hostel.

On another day he visited the Plymouth Hoe tourist area, glaring sideways through sunglasses at a little girl. Det Insp Simon Snell, who led the probe that snared the gang, has said: “We are talking about the rapes of very young children over a number of years.

“We believe there are other offenders. And we won’t have spoken to every victim.”

Gang leader John Barrett, 49, was jailed for 14½ years, James Machin, 54, got 18 years, Alan Wills, 46, was given 16 years, while Derek Shepherd, 63, was convicted of having indecent images.

The Probation Service said: “Sex offenders released from prison on licence are monitored by the Probation Service and police, and can be recalled to custody if they breach their conditions.

“Agencies work to minimise the risk through continuous assessment and management, and to lead offenders away from the attitudes and behaviours which led to them being sent to prison.”