ASHER SHAW RECEIVES 14-YEAR SENTENCE FOR CHILD SEX ATTACK IN COVENTRY PARK
In June 2014, Asher Shaw, 22, of Hermes Crescent, Henley Green, Coventry, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for a heinous sexual assault on a child in a Coventry park.He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
The victim, an eight-year-old boy, contracted a sexually transmitted disease after Shaw grabbed him from behind, pulled down his tracksuit trousers, and raped him.
Shaw denied the charge of raping the boy, but a jury convicted him following a trial concluded in August of the previous year.
Since the conviction, there have been multiple delays as psychiatric evaluations were carried out to determine if Shaw should be placed under any mental health orders.
Prosecutor Paul Dhami told the court that the incident occurred sometime in 2011 when Shaw was 19, but the crime only came to light in 2012 when the child was taken to see a doctor.
The boy revealed that he had been hiding in some bushes in the park when Shaw approached from behind and assaulted him.
In court, Recorder Tim Raggatt QC noted: “One of the troubling features of the reports is that he has no perception of what he’s done.” Shaw’s defense attorney, Jane Sarginson, explained that Shaw had learning difficulties, with an IQ estimated around 70 and a reading age comparable to a six or eight-year-old.
She stated, “Although in years there was a big gap between them, intellectually they are closer.” The defense emphasized that there was no premeditation or violence involved.
However, the judge remarked on the impact of Shaw's actions: “The whole thing caused a desperate turmoil in the little lad’s mind.
What there was, was an exceptionally vulnerable little victim and a sexually transmitted disease as a result.” He added, “What is troubling is his complete failure to accept any responsibility, even now.” Sarginson also noted that Shaw, now vulnerable because of his intellectual difficulties, had been physically attacked twice by members of the victim’s family since the offense surfaced.
Recorder Raggatt acknowledged their anger but clarified, “In law, not excusable; but in human terms, their anger is understandable.” Delivering the sentence, the judge told Shaw: “You raped [the boy], who was then eight years of age.
You took advantage of him by surprise.
It is almost unimaginable to know what the psychological effect will be on him because of your disgusting activity.”
