February 2016 Pensioner who sexually abused a schoolboy in 1980s jailed A pensioner, who sexually abused a schoolboy more than 26 years ago, was jailed for four years. Alan Pople, 73, pleaded guilty to two indecent assaults and a serious sex offence upon a boy, aged between 13 and 15-years-old.  Leicester Crown Court was told that Pople was in his 40s when he befriended the victim at a fair in Western Park, Leicester, and groomed him before abusing him. Gary Short, prosecuting, said Pople would also pay the teenager between five and 20 pounds for sexual activity, about three times a week, between 1988 and 1990. The court heard that in 1996, Pople, of Coneygrey, Fleckney, was jailed for two years for an offence of gross indecency with another young boy, in 1994. He has not committed any offences since then. The court heard that the victim still remains “angry and disgusted,” by what happened. In a victim impact statement, he said: “I hate him for what he did to me.” Judge Nicholas Dean QC told Pople: “To a certain extent it seems to me you must be a victim of your own sexuality. “You grew up when people with your proclivities would not be tolerated. “You were involved in the corruption of two young men, and in 1996 were sentenced to imprisonment, with the realisation, by you, that you had done real harm. “I accept what was said in the psychiatric report that you very much learnt in the 90s that your behaviour was wrong and since then you haven’t repeated this type of behaviour towards young men. “What I have to deal with you for today does not mean you represent any sort of threat to boys or young men now. “What you did to (the victim) was profoundly wrong. “You groomed him and persuaded him to involve himself in sexual activity entirely inappropriate for a boy of his age. “He didn’t realise until he was 16 or 17 that what happened was wrong and it made him feel disgusted with himself. “This type of activity does real harm and has done real harm to him. “You accepted your guilty when you were spoken to by the police. “To prison you will have to go. “There was a significant disparity of age, significant grooming, payment was involved and he was targeted by you because of his addiction to gambling machines at that time.” Helen Johnson, mitigating, said that when jailed in 1996, Pople had time to “reflect on his life” and changed his behaviour. She said: “He’s someone who has led a sad and an isolated life. “He acknowledges his conduct is something that needs to be punished and he’s insightful about his behaviour and the effect it has had.” Pople was told his address will remain on a sex offender register for life.