A mum of a 10-year-old boy targeted by pervert Tony Mellor has told of her disgust after the disgraced academic was spared jail.
Dr Tony Mellor, 44, of Townsville Avenue, Whitley Bay, exposed himself to a group of children and showed them pornographic magazines near his North Tyneside home last August.
And despite pleading guilty to two charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, he was not given a jail sentence.
Instead, judges at Newcastle Crown Court gave him a two-year Community Rehabilitation Order and placed him on the sex offenders’ register.
Now the mother-of-one of the victims says she is “outraged” at the decision to release him into the community.
The woman, who the Chronicle has agreed not to name, said: “I was in court for the whole thing and I can’t believe it.
“After the trial my son was sitting at home knowing this man was at home having his tea just like we were.
“My boy has to walk past the park where it all happened and wonder whether he will see the man.”
Mellor, a senior soil sciences lecturer at Northumbria University performed a sex act in front of the boys twice, Newcastle Crown Court was told.
He was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and was also made the subject of a stringent five-year sexual offences prevention order.
This bans him from going within 50 yards of children under 16 without reasonable cause and from “entering recreational and educational premises they may be using”.
The distraught mother said: “My son was out with his friends at the time.
“The guy came across to them a few times and befriended them. He told them his name was Tony.
“He would stop and talk to them and asked them if they wanted to him to show them pictures. Then he exposed himself and said he was doing it all to educate them.
“My son has been shown things and learnt words he was not ready for. I have a great relationship with him but it was my choice when to educate him about sex, not anyone else’s.
“At the end of the day, we will get over it in time but I think this kind of sentence sends out the wrong message to people.
“The police have been great with us from start to finish but what happened in court was a joke, we were sat yards from him the whole time and how I controlled myself, I’ll never know.”
October 2004
Sick lecturer admits flashing at children
A perverted university lecturer is facing jail after exposing himself in front of young children.
Married Dr Antony Mellor approached youngsters on Tyneside twice within the space of a few days.
The married lecturer pleaded guilty to two charges of obtaining sexual gratification in the presence of a child under the age of 13 at North Tyneside Magistrates Court yesterday.
It is understood he had been looking at pornographic material while in the process of the indecency.
The 44-year-old has been suspended from his post as a lecturer in soil sciences at Northumbria University pending sentence.
Joe Sanders, for the Crown Prosecution Service, told the court: “These are difficult charges under the new sexual offences act and we say these matters are not suitable to be dealt with here. The aggravating feature of them is that they were pre-meditated.”
The CPS did not go into detail about the offences as sentencing will not take place until after the Probation Service has completed a report.
Mellor, of Townsville Avenue, Whitley Bay, was ordered by JPs to complete an interim registration on the Sex Offenders Register and was given conditional bail to appear at Newcastle Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
Noel Dilks, for Mellor, said: “You are dealing with a man in his 40s who is of impeccable character.
“He is spoken of in kind and generous terms by colleagues and he has never ever done this or any other kind of offence previously.
“He was under immense pressure at home and at work. We are getting a psychiatric report and it offers medical mitigation.”
It is understood Dr Mellor exposed himself to the youngsters while looking at a pornographic magazine.
The two incidents are alleged to have happened between August 1 and August 6 in the Whitley Bay area.
The street where the incident happened is close to his own home near Monkseaton Metro station, which he shares with wife Tracey.
A Northumbria University spokesman said: “The university has decided, following Dr Mellor’s appearance before North Tyneside Magistrates court yesterday to suspend him from his employment pending the decision and recommendations of the Crown Court.
“When the university is in receipt of the decision and recommendations and with the best interests in mind of all concerned, Dr Mellor’s position will be given full and fair consideration.”
Dr Mellor is head of Geography and Principal Lecturer in Physical Geography and Environmental Management at Northumbria University.
