OAP jailed for sex assault on girl, six (From Bournemouth Echo)

OAP jailed for sex assault on girl, six

9:00am Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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A pensioner who twice fondled a little girl and was said to have shown her a “sex book” is starting a 12-month jail term.

Widower Harold Lord, 74, assaulted the girl when she was six and seven years old when both of them lived in Padiham. The defendant, who later moved to Bournemouth, warned the child not to tell anyone after the first offence and she did not. But around a year later the girl left a note on her mother’s pillow telling her what the defendant had done, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The victim was so upset by what happened to her she became withdrawn, refused to hear the defendant’s name mentioned and started wetting her bed and became clingy. She also blamed herself, the court was told.

Lord, who has since moved to Tuckton Road, Bournemouth, admitted two charges of sexual assault on a girl under 13.

Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant his behaviour had been cruel and damaging. She added: “You threatened her not to tell anybody or else and it worked.”

Lord was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, banned from working with children for life and was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order, prohibiting him from associating with youngsters under 16.

Richard Littler, prosecuting, said last June the victim’s mother found a note from her daughter on her pillow telling her Lord had touched her.

The angry mother went to confront Lord, called police with the help of school staff and the defendant was arrested.

Andrew Nuttall, for Lord, said the offences were aberrations and the risk for the future was relatively low. Lord had had a very happy marriage and the death of his wife hit him hard. He became confused, frightened about life without her and isolated.

The barrister continued: “It may be the defendant sought a bit of human contact, a bit of love and emotion – of course wholly inappropriately – but nevertheless in a moment of weakness, the kind of closeness he had had with his wife.”