ANTHONY FLETCHER FROM DILTON MARSH SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT IN BRISTOL

In a recent court ruling at Bristol Crown Court, Anthony Fletcher, a resident of Woodland View in Dilton Marsh, was sentenced to a six-month jail term after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. The sentence also included a disqualification from working with children and a requirement to register as a sex offender for the next seven years.

Fletcher, who previously served in the Royal Air Force, faced a total of nine charges during a trial held in November at Swindon Crown Court. During the proceedings, on the second day, he chose to change his plea and admitted to six of the charges. These included the abduction of a young girl, sexual assault, acts of indecency with a minor, and three additional counts related to sexual activity with a child.

Having already spent 60 days in custody on remand, Fletcher’s legal situation has raised concerns among those who know him. His former partner, who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed her fears about his potential danger to children once he is released from prison next year. She was with Fletcher during the 1970s and 1980s and has since become an outspoken critic of his actions.

She stated, “When he was sentenced, I thought ‘lovely, but I wish it was for longer,’ because he shouldn’t be out there tormenting other kids. The judge’s hands were tied because that was the maximum sentence. I believe that in cases like this, life imprisonment would be more appropriate, as he will be out again and children won’t be safe.”

Her realization of Fletcher’s disturbing interests came only after their relationship ended in the early 1980s. She recounted her shock and disgust upon discovering his fascination with young girls, which she had not suspected during their time together.

She revealed that Fletcher’s troubling behavior extended beyond their relationship. In 1991, while living in Frome, he reportedly befriended children at a local children’s home, posing as a photographer and engaging in other manipulative activities. He also made inappropriate advances to girls at a nearby college.

The woman further described Fletcher as a compulsive liar, noting that he had even pretended to have a terminal illness. “Paedophiles are never going to change,” she said. “My former partner was diagnosed as a psychopath, which included being a compulsive liar. He believed the lies he told himself.”

She recounted an incident where Fletcher claimed to have a back problem requiring surgery at a private clinic in Bath, which she drove him to but was not allowed to enter. Upon his return, he fabricated stories about having a spinal disease and needing an operation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, even suggesting he might never walk again. Three years after their breakup, she received a call from his younger sister, who revealed that Fletcher had falsely claimed to have stomach cancer with only months to live, further illustrating his pattern of deception.