DORCHESTER PAEDOPHILE BARRY CLARKE SENTENCED FOR ABUSING YOUNG GIRLS AND FILMING BEACH CRIMES

In December 2013, a disturbing case of child abuse and exploitation came to light involving Barry Clarke, a resident of Forum Green in Dorchester. Clarke, aged 67 at the time, was convicted of a series of heinous crimes that spanned over the 1990s, including the sexual abuse of young girls and the clandestine filming of children in vulnerable situations.

According to court proceedings, Clarke used manipulative tactics to lure his victims, offering them sweets and money as a means of coercion. He also employed threats to silence them, ensuring their silence about the abuse they endured. The court heard that Clarke’s actions were calculated and predatory, targeting children aged between nine and 16 during the period of the offences.

The case was further compounded when police executed a search of Clarke’s residence. During the search, authorities discovered an alarming collection of approximately 1,000 hours of video footage. Some of these recordings depicted children in Clarke’s bedroom and on the beach, with one particularly disturbing clip showing Clarke on a nudist beach. Prosecutor Robert Pawson revealed that Clarke had edited one of the videos to make it appear as though his private parts were touching a young girl, a clear indication of his malicious intent.

Mr. Pawson explained that Clarke had set up a camera on the beach, walking down to the waterline to be in close proximity to the children. In one clip, a girl aged between nine and 11 was visible, and Clarke later edited the footage to create the illusion of inappropriate contact. Another disturbing recording captured a young girl calling Clarke a ‘pervert,’ to which he responded, ‘no, I’m a filmmaker,’ before attempting to involve children in eating ice lollies for the camera. It is important to note that none of the children in these videos were victims in the current case, and the footage was not used as evidence for the charges.

Despite this, Mr. Pawson emphasized that the court would have viewed this footage had the trial proceeded, and Clarke’s denial of the crimes up until the day of sentencing added significant stress to the victims. The victims, who had initially believed they might not have to testify, were subjected to the possibility of cross-examination about their experiences, which caused them considerable distress.

Legal proceedings revealed that Clarke’s methods included paying the young girls, which the court described as a tactic akin to ‘prostitution,’ designed to make the victims feel involved and complicit. The victims expressed feelings of disgust and shame about what they had been forced to endure. Judge Roger Jarvis sentenced Clarke to a total of nine years in prison, with specific terms of 18 months each for five counts, two of which are to run concurrently, 20 months for another count, 22 months for a separate charge, and 12 months for indecent assault. All sentences are to be served consecutively.

Judge Jarvis described Clarke as a ‘predatory paedophile’ who exploited the vulnerabilities of young children for his own sexual gratification. He emphasized that the victims had little understanding of what was happening at the time, having been groomed, threatened, and manipulated. The judge acknowledged the lasting impact on the victims, some of whom continue to feel shame and disgust as adults. As part of his sentence, Clarke will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and will be registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.