In the UK, an old man was found guilty of decades of sexual abuse to young girls and is finally locked up in prison.
Philip Wood, 75, from Wood End, Warwickshire has sexually assaulted three girls on numerous occasions over a ten-year period.
The man who was formerly from Glenville Avenue, Atherstone, appeared at Warwick Crown Court where he was charged with indecent assault and gross indecency in relation to three girls in the 1990s.
Philip showed no remorse for his crimes which would be classed as rape if they happened now. The predator lures young girls to a flat with coloring books before sexually abusing them.
The assaults took place in locations including Birmingham, Wood End, Atherstone, Hurley when the girls were aged between just five and 12-years-old.
“This is about a campaign of sexual abuse against three girls 20 to 30 years ago, and his offending spanned almost a decade,” Prosecutor Rebecca Wade told the jury. “The prosecution says Phillip Wood is a predatory man intent on abusing young girls for his own sexual satisfaction.”
Prosecutor Rebeca said Philip targeted his first victim after meeting her mother while he was living in the Quinton area of Birmingham.
The 75-year-old, who worked as a delivery driver, took her to his mother’s home where he simulated intercourse with her. He also abused her in other locations, including his work vehicle.
The judge and jury heard, the abuse took place when she was aged between seven and 11, but she was too afraid to tell anyone what was happening.
As an adult, she told her husband in 2009 and reported it to police where no further action was taken until another of the pedophile’s victims went to the police in 2018.
That woman revealed she was about nine and playing near the old man’s flat in Glenville Avenue when on more than one occasion he persuaded her to go inside.
Once inside, he would then put his hand down her trousers and touch her inappropriately.
She had also tried to report it in 2009 but had gone to Tamworth police station where she had been turned away and told to report it to Warwickshire police. She then didn’t report it again until 2018.
Philip’s final victim was aged about seven and was playing near his flat in the late 1990s when he asked her in, telling her he had some coloring books and pencils she could use. Once she was in his flat, he assaulted her.
After giving her the coloring books, he exposed himself and made her touch his genitals. He warned her not to tell anyone or her family would find her dead in the woods. On another occasion, he invited her in, and she was too scared not to go because of his earlier threat.
Judge Barry Berlin said it was “terrifying for an eight-year-old”.
The jury rejected Philip’s claim that the girls had colluded to make allegations up against him as he denied the offenses.
“My childhood is clouded in darkness,” one of his victims told the court. “I believe he has shown no remorse for his actions and will never do so.”
The 75-year-old was arrested by Warwickshire Police after one of the victims came forward in 2018. After a complex three-year investigation, he was charged with 34 offenses in connection with three victims.
Speaking after the trial, Kevin Usher, Investigating Officer Detective Constable said that “no sentence will ever be able to take away the pain and suffering Wood has caused, but I hope this will provide some sense of comfort and bring closure to his victims.”
“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this case, which has been a particularly lengthy and complex one, for their hard work and commitment, but above all, I would like to pay tribute to the victims for coming forward,” Usher said.
“They have demonstrated immense bravery in disclosing what happened to them and thankfully Wood is now behind bars paying the price for his reprehensible crimes committed against young girls,” he added.
“I hope this case reassures anyone who may have been a victim of sexual abuse, either non-recent or current, that Warwickshire Police is committed to providing help and support to victims and bringing offenders to justice,” he said.
“We will always thoroughly investigate no matter when the abuse took place – there is help and support out there so please don’t suffer in silence,” he added.
Wood was jailed for a total of 23 years, 20 years imprisonment with a three-year extended sentence at Warwick Crown Court on Friday, October 15. He was also given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), Warwickshire Police said.
“Crimes of this type against children are the worst crimes imaginable, causing incalculable damage to the victims,” Judge Berlin told the pedophile, who stood with his arms folded. “You were every parent’s nightmare. The damage you caused these women growing up is obvious, but the sentence is limited to the maximum sentence available at the time.”
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