November 2014 Pensioner jailed for sexually abusing young girls A PENSIONER’S sordid past caught up with him when he was jailed for two years. Brian Bartle, 71, of Richard Heights, Flint, admitted sexually abusing two young girls – one 11 years ago and the other taking place four years ago. Mold Crown Court heard yesterday that in a separate case last year he had admitted molesting a young girl. He asked her for a hug but ended up grabbing her breasts. He was placed on a community order. Bartle was jailed for two years, placed on the sex offender register for 10 years and made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPA) to prevent him being alone with young children. Judge Niclas Parry told him: “You are clearly a man who cannot control your sexual desires to assault young females.” Sentencing him, the judge said: “You will exploit and engineer situations that enable you to abuse girls for your own sexual gratification.” The judge said in 2003 when Bartle was 59 he befriended a teenage girl at a camp site and took advantage of the situation, giving her alcohol. He embarked upon a prolonged course of sexual assault after persuading her to ring her parents and lie about the circumstances of her staying the night. Seven years later, when aged 67, he took advantage of another young girl to sexually assault her. There was a significant disparity in age and the judge said that, while last year he had been given the opportunity to work with specialists in the community under a community order, his attitude towards the current offences had been one of denial and seeking to blame the victims. Judge Parry branded it “calculated and predatory behaviour”. Despite his age only, immediate custody could be justified, the judge said. Prosecutor Andrew Green said the incident in 2003 had been investigated by the police at the time.  He denied it and no further action was taken. Following the later complaint, the first incident was reopened. Bartle admitted he had sexually assaulted the girl at a campsite in North Wales. In a victim impact statement the girl, now an adult, told how it had caused a lot of stress and she was unable to get the image of him abusing her out of her mind. In 2006, when Bartle was 63, he went on to sexually assault a girl of primary school age. Three years later when she saw him in the street she confided in a member of staff where she was being taught what had happened and police were informed. It had left her with “bad dreams”, she would relive the incident and found it difficult to trust men.  She was planning to have counselling when the proceedings were over. Jonathan Duffy, defending, said Bartle wished to apologise without any reservations for his behaviour. The judge said that did not come across in his pre-sentence report but Mr Duffy said his client appreciated what he had done was unacceptable. The offences dated back four years and 11 years. They were both non-penetrative in their nature, he was now 71 and was already engaging well with the probation service. Mr Duffy suggested the inevitable custodial sentence could be suspended and a package of conditions put in place to punish him and to protect the public.