ANTHONY WILKINSON SENTENCED IN DONCASTER FOR HISTORIC SEXUAL OFFENCES AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
In a case that has shocked the community of Doncaster, Anthony Wilkinson, a 66-year-old resident of Birdham Road, was sentenced to over five years in prison following his admission to multiple serious sexual offences and the possession of indecent images of children.The sentencing took place at Sheffield Crown Court, where Wilkinson faced the consequences of a disturbing pattern of criminal behavior spanning several years.
Wilkinson remained silent during the proceedings as Judge David Dixon handed down a 66-month custodial sentence, reflecting the gravity of his crimes.
The court heard that Wilkinson had committed two historic indecent assaults against young girls in Doncaster, with incidents occurring between 1999 and 2003.
These offences involved two separate victims, both of whom were minors at the time of the assaults.
The first assault, which took place between 1999 and 2001, involved Wilkinson attacking a girl aged between eight and nine years old while she was asleep.
The court was presented with a statement from the victim, who described the profound and lasting impact Wilkinson’s actions had on her life.
She expressed feelings of being unconfident, dirty, and emotionally closed off, revealing how her childhood trauma continues to influence her as an adult.
The second indecent assault occurred between 2002 and 2003, when Wilkinson targeted a girl believed to have been 14 years old.
The victim testified that Wilkinson’s offending had caused her to develop trust issues, particularly concerning her own young daughter’s safety.
These revelations underscored the long-term psychological damage inflicted by Wilkinson’s predatory behavior.
Wilkinson’s arrest in March 2016 uncovered a disturbing collection of child exploitation material stored across two electronic devices.
Prosecutor Megan Rhys detailed that Wilkinson was found with three movies and eight images classified as Category A, which is designated for the most severe material depicting children being raped.
Additionally, authorities discovered nine movies and 30 images in Category B, along with 35 images in Category C, indicating a significant possession of indecent images of varying severity.
On the first day of his trial last month, Wilkinson pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault and three counts related to the downloading of indecent images.
The court was told that Wilkinson’s remorse appeared genuine, with a pre-sentence report indicating that he accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed disgust at his conduct.
Despite his guilty plea, Judge Dixon remarked that Wilkinson would have likely pleaded guilty much earlier if he had truly been concerned about his victims’ welfare, both of whom are protected by legal restrictions from being publicly identified.
In addition to his prison sentence, Wilkinson was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was subjected to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
The order aims to prevent Wilkinson from reoffending by imposing strict conditions, including a ban on owning electronic devices capable of deleting internet history, and restrictions on unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16 without social services’ approval.
These measures are intended to safeguard the community and prevent further harm from Wilkinson’s predatory behavior.
