JUDGE REDUCES SENTENCE OF BRIAN MOAKES, SEX OFFENDER FROM MALVERN

In April 2012, top judges reduced the prison sentence of Brian Moakes, a sex predator responsible for an "appalling campaign of rape and sexual abuse" against three schoolgirls. Moakes, aged 62 and residing on Queen’s Road in Malvern but living in Coventry at the time of the offenses, was originally sentenced in October 2010 to 21 years after being convicted of four rapes, 11 indecent assaults, and other sex crimes.

Described by the trial judge as "a man who perpetrated evil," Moakes’s case drew significant attention. Mr. Justice Coulson, addressing London’s Appeal Court, stated, "We believe he was right to say that."

While the Court dismissed Moakes’s challenge to his indecent assault convictions, it ruled that his total 21-year sentence was excessive. The judges acknowledged the severity of the crimes but noted that the Crown Court judge had exceeded sentencing guidelines. As a result, they reduced Moakes’s sentence to 19 years.