6:30am Saturday 18th July 2009
A CHILDREN’S charity last night described a decision to allow a sex offender to go free as “disturbing”.
Richard Graves, 53, was convicted of sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, after an incident last year.
Judge Julian Hall had warned Graves he faced jail but instead issued a supervision order and told him to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register at a hearing on Thursday.
The eight-year-old victim’s grandmother shouted: “Another lenient sentence from Judge Hall!" as she stormed out of the court.
The court heard the sports coach inappropriately touched the boy, who was playing with other children in Graves’ swimming pool.
Graves, of Towersey, Thame, said: “I did not do anything of which I am ashamed or would not have done in front of anyone else. I was simply tickling [the child] which I had done before and he had liked it.”
But evidence from the child, the boy’s father, and other relatives convinced the jury of Graves’ guilt.
Judge Hall said: “I have the unenviable task of deciding where in the scale of sexual offences this falls. Should this man go to prison for an offence at the lower end of that scale? I also have to consider that Mr Graves sufferers from Crohn’s disease. There are difficulties with dealing with that in prison.”
But children’s charity Kidscape director Claude Knights said: “It is difficult to accept that sexual activity with a child under 13 could ever be regarded as at the ‘lower end of the sexual offences scale’.
“Judge Hall is certainly sending out a difficult message both to the young victim’s family and to all those who are concerned with the protection of children from predators.”
Judge Hall disqualified the rugby and cricket coach from working with children for life. He also imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order lasting 10 years.
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