ANDREW COOKE: NOTTINGHAM PAEDOPHILE LIVING NEAR CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND
In the quiet suburb of Nottingham, a disturbing revelation has come to light involving 72-year-old Andrew Cooke, a man with a long and troubling history of sexual offenses against children.His residence, located in Kirkwhite Court, The Meadows, is separated from a local children’s playground by only a garden fence, raising serious concerns among local residents and authorities alike.
For over five years, Cooke’s window in his home overlooked the grassy play area where children frequently gathered to play football and enjoy outdoor activities.
Through the net curtains of his bedroom, he had been watching the children for an extended period, largely unnoticed by the community.
It was only last year that his activities drew suspicion when he befriended a young boy by giving him money, an act that eventually led to his grooming of the child over several months.
Nottingham Crown Court heard detailed accounts of Cooke’s criminal behavior, including the discovery of a loose videotape in his home that showed him abusing the young boy.
The victim, under the powerful influence of Cooke, refused to come forward initially, making it difficult for authorities to build a case.
However, the evidence was undeniable, and Cooke was charged and convicted of multiple offenses.
During the trial, Cooke admitted to four counts of indecent assault, one of gross indecency, and one of producing an indecent photograph of a child.
Judge Joan Butler QC sentenced him to seven years in prison and ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
The judge also issued a restraining order preventing Cooke from residing within 100 meters of any children’s playground, school, or educational facility.
Additionally, he is prohibited from possessing any camera or video recording equipment.
It emerged that Cooke had moved into his current rented maisonette in Kirkwhite Court in the summer of 1997, a property owned by Nottingham City Council.
His criminal history is extensive; notably, he was responsible for the rape of a young girl in London, which resulted in a life sentence handed down at the Old Bailey on November 17, 1989.
However, Cooke successfully appealed this sentence, and on July 2, 1990, it was reduced to ten years.
This reduction meant he was no longer on a life license when released, a status that would have mandated ongoing monitoring and registration.
Prior to the introduction of the sex offenders’ register in 1997, Cooke’s previous convictions and sentences did not require him to register or be under strict supervision.
His release from prison in September 1997 occurred just before the law mandated lifelong registration for those convicted of serious sex offenses.
As a result, Cooke slipped through the cracks of the new legal framework, and his past crimes remained largely unmonitored.
Today, the law requires anyone convicted of a sex offense and sentenced to 30 months or more in prison to register for life.
However, details of Cooke’s specific release conditions have not been publicly disclosed by the Nottingham Probation Service.
Had he been on a life license or convicted after 1997, a multi-agency public protection panel would have overseen his supervision.
Authorities considered Nottingham the most suitable location for Cooke’s resettlement, primarily because it was distant from his previous victims, their families, and his former places of work.
Despite his criminal history, he had not previously lived or committed offenses within Nottingham itself.
His move to a council-managed home in Broxtowe in 1996, followed by a transfer to The Meadows in 1997, marked his attempt to reintegrate into the community.
Detective Sergeant Paul Winter of Nottingham’s Dangerous Person’s Management Unit commented on the situation, emphasizing that Cooke was not required to sign the sex offenders’ register and was free to live wherever he chose.
His ability to remain undetected for so long underscores the gaps in the legal and monitoring systems that existed before the law was strengthened in 1997.
The community remains deeply concerned about the proximity of such a dangerous individual to children’s play areas, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in safeguarding vulnerable populations from known offenders.
