December 2014

Paedophile, 70, who abused two girls is jailed for four years

A PAEDOPHILE pensioner who sexually assaulted two girls has been jailed for four years.

Frederick Scantlebury, now aged 70, abused his victims 11 years apart and then put them through the ordeal of testifying during his trial at Plymouth Crown Court.

Judge Graham Cottle said the childhood of the girl who was most seriously assaulted had been “ruined”.

He said: “You made her relive the experiences she suffered at your hands. She speaks of the appalling consequences of having been abused by you.

“She describes you, not surprisingly, as a sick and twisted man. You have ruined her childhood.”

Married Scantlebury had denied three charges of sexually assaulting a girl sometime in 2010.

That complainant has told the court that he abused her several times over the course of the year at his home – but asked her to keep “their little secret”.

He also denied indecently assaulting the other girl on a single occasion between September 1999 and November 1999.

Scantlebury, of Earls Mill Road, Plympton was convicted on all four counts by a jury at a trial last month.

The jury was told that he admitted accepting a police caution for possessing indecent images of children three years ago. He was caught with 7,100 pictures on his two laptop computers.

Llewellyn Sellick, for Scantlebury, said bearing in mind his age and worries about his wife’s health, a suspended prison sentence was justified.

He said a probation officer had assessed him as a low risk of re-offending.

Judge Cottle jailed him for a total of four years for the latest assaults.

He said a probation report showed Scantlebury still had “warped views” of child abuse.

Speaking of the principal victim, the judge added: “Her life will be affected for some considerable time. Sometimes these things manifest themselves later in life in quite awful ways.”

Scantlebury will have to sign the Sex Offender Register and was also handed an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his access to children and allowing police to monitor his computer for abusive images.

November 2014

Plymouth pensioner faces prison for sexually assaulting girls

A PAEDOPHILE pensioner face prison for sexually assaulting two girls.

Frederick Scantlebury, now aged 70, has been convicted by a jury of abusing the youngsters after a trial at Plymouth Crown Court.

Adjourning sentence for a probation report, Judge Graham Cottle warned him that he was facing jail.

Married Scantlebury denied three charges of sexually assaulting a girl sometime in 2010.

That complainant has told the court that he abused her several times over the course of the year at his home – but asked her to keep “their little secret”.

He also denied indecently assaulting the other girl on a single occasion between September 1999 and November 1999.

Scantlebury, of Earls Mill Road, Plympton, denied touching either girl indecently and said the first he knew of the allegations was when the police contacted him.

But he admitted accepting a police caution for possessing indecent images of children three years ago. He was caught with 7,100 pictures on his two laptop computers.

The jury took five hours to find him guilty on all four counts by unanimous verdicts.

Scantlebury, who walks with a stick, showed no reaction when the forewoman announced the decision.

Judge Cottle said that Scantlebury was convicted on “powerful evidence”.

He added there was little hope he could be treated for his sexual offending if he did not admit his crimes.

The judge told retired Scantlebury: “It is possible that some alternative to immediate custody will be canvassed.

“The overwhelming likelihood is that the outcome of this case will be that you will be sent to prison immediately.”

Scantlebury was released on bail to attend for sentence on December 12.

He will have to sign the Sex Offender Register and was also handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to prevent him from having unsupervised contact with children.