ANTHONY WHITEHEAD SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IN DEANE AND ROCHDALE

In May 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving Anthony Whitehead, a town planner from Deane, who was convicted of heinous crimes involving a young boy. The case revealed that Whitehead had engaged in a series of grooming and sexual activities with a 13-year-old boy over a span of two years during the early 1990s.

Whitehead, now aged 65 and residing in Eleanor Street, Wigan, was found guilty after a trial at Bolton Crown Court. The court heard how he had initially met the boy near the former Knowl View residential school in Rochdale, a place notorious for its dark history of abuse. The jury was told that Whitehead, who was then 40 years old, took deliberate steps to groom the young teenager, eventually bringing him into his home located on Junction Road, Deane.

During the proceedings, it was revealed that Whitehead had a pattern of deceitful behavior to conceal his actions. One particularly disturbing detail was that he would hide the boy in the trunk of his car to prevent neighbors from seeing him entering his house. Prosecutor Mark Kellet explained that Whitehead would drive his vehicle into the garage, close the door, and then release the boy from the boot, effectively hiding him from public view.

The court heard that Whitehead’s home was a three-storey townhouse, where he engaged in sexual acts with the boy. The victim was able to provide police with a detailed description of the interior of the house, which further corroborated his account. Whitehead would pay the boy with cash and gifts, establishing a pattern of manipulation and exploitation.

It was also disclosed that the boy, who was described as troubled and had been sent to the residential school due to truancy issues, first met Whitehead when he was offered a lift after missing his bus. Whitehead, who was in the vicinity of the school, approached the boy and his friend, offering them a ride into Rochdale. On a subsequent occasion, the boy saw Whitehead sitting in his car watching him, which caused him to run away out of fear, suspecting the man might be a police officer.

Whitehead later gave the boy his telephone number and offered to pay for sex, which the boy initially refused. However, their relationship progressed, with Whitehead meeting the boy in his Renault car and engaging in sexual acts. The boy would later contact Whitehead, who would pick him up from various locations and bring him back to his home in Bolton for further encounters.

Following the investigation into the abuse at Knowl View School, the boy disclosed to police that he had been paid for sex by Whitehead. Whitehead was arrested in April 2015, during which he denied the allegations, claiming that the accusations were false. He alleged that he was working in South Manchester when he first met the boy and that their relationship was only a brief, consensual encounter once the boy was older. Whitehead also claimed that he and his wife had been attacked and robbed by the boy and another man armed with a gun.

The court was informed that Whitehead had a history of offending, having served a nine-month prison sentence for indecent assault on another boy shortly before the current offences. Despite his defense’s claims that he was a kind and considerate man, the jury found him guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of indecent assault and five charges of buggery.

Judge Timothy Stead sentenced Whitehead to nine years in prison. During the sentencing, the judge emphasized the premeditated nature of Whitehead’s actions, noting the grooming and planning involved. He also pointed out that Whitehead’s crimes occurred shortly after his release from prison, highlighting a concerning pattern of behavior.

Whitehead’s defense attorney, Brian McKenna, stated that his client’s wife remained supportive and that testimonials described him as a caring individual. However, Judge Stead dismissed these claims, asserting that they conflicted with the jury’s findings. The judge concluded by condemning Whitehead’s inclination to offend against young boys and sentenced him accordingly, marking a significant and serious chapter in the ongoing fight against child abuse in the Rochdale area.