April 2014 Five years for Derby pervert who sexually abused baby A 53-YEAR-OLD man went to a police station to confess he had sexually abused a baby years ago Barry Peach admitted indecent assault and child cruelty and was jailed for five years yesterday when he appeared at Derby Crown Court. James Varley, prosecuting, said: “As far as indecent assault on a young child goes, it’s hard to think of a worse one.” Judge John Pini QC said what Peach had done was a “demonstrably deviant act”. He said that if the crime had been committed in recent years, it would have been charged as rape. The court heard that in May last year Peach was heading to Pear Tree police station when he handed a letter to a police community support officer in the street. He told the officer: “I want to confess something to you – I sexually abused a young child (many) years ago.” He said he had also tried to suffocate and assault the baby when it would not stop crying. Sophie Murray, in mitigation, said: “This came to light because Mr Peach wanted to divest himself of his guilt and his shame and his deep remorse. He views himself as ill during the time (he committed the offences). “It is clear he has suffered from depression for a long period of time.” She said that Peach, of Alder Walk, Derby, had struggled in the interceding years to understand why he had done what he had. The court was told he had confessed his crime to his wife and they agreed they would go to the police about it. Judge Pini said it was “powerful mitigation” that Peach reported himself to the police. The judge said: “You are only sitting there because you had the moral courage to walk into a police station – 99.9% of the population would not have done that.” The court heard that the victim had been unaware of the abuse until being told by police after Peach’s confession.