November 2017 Bispham convicted rapist was in company of boys A convicted child rapist has been arrested after police saw him in the company of young boys. Charles Hodgson was convicted of raping a boy under the age of 16 and three offences of sexually assaulting a boy under 13. He was on a court order which banned him from associating with children under 16 but was seen talking to two boys, one aged 13 the other 14, who had offered to show Hodgson magic tricks. Hodgson, 25, of Edmonton Place, Bispham, pleaded guilty to breaching a Sex Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). He was bailed to appear for sentence at Preston Crown Court on December 20 by Blackpool magistrates and must live at his given address as a condition of bail. Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said in November 2013 at Burnley Crown Court Hodgson was put on a SOPO and the Sex Offenders Register after being convicted of sexual offences against boys. On November 17, Hodgson was seen having contact with some boys under 16 at Blackpool. April 2013 Judge ‘haunted’ by the face of Burnley rapist’s schoolboy victim A PERVERT who raped a schoolboy has been locked up for six and a half years. Charles Hodgson, 21, sexually assaulted his frightened victim, got him to take part in sex acts and then raped him at a house in Burnley. As he handed down the jail sentence at Preston Crown Court yesterday, Judge Christopher Cornwall told the defendant he had been haunted by the face of the young victim. Judge Cornwall said: “This is an extremely worrying case. I feared the jury might be haunted by the boy’s face for some time to come. “As it so turns out, I have been.” Hodgson, of Thurston Street, Burnley, had denied one charge of sexual assault, two of causing someone to engage in sexual activity without their consent, plus a charge of rape. He had been convicted following a trial at Burnley Crown Court. He was aged 20 at the time he carried out his offences last June. The court heard that in a victim impact statement the boy said he was struggling to deal with and accept what had happened to him. The boy had said: “He made me feel so scared. I felt I couldn’t do anything to stop him.” The youngster had felt ‘angry’ about the questions put to him in his evidence at court. “He was trying to make me out to be the liar,” he said. He had got help from the police to try to put into words, in his statement, how he felt. The judge called his personal victim statement ‘a remarkably eloquent account of the turmoil that descends upon the innocent victim of a sexual assault’. The judge felt the defendant had been rightly convicted by the jury. The trial had heard that Hodgson had sexually assaulted his victim, got him to take part in sex acts and then raped him. Hodgson told the boy not to tell anyone what had happened. But the following day he told two female school friends what had taken place. One had told her mother and police were called after the boy’s teacher took him to one side at his school in Burnley and asked him what had happened. Mr Richard Dawson, defending, said: “He doesn’t accept the conviction of the jury, but he does accept and recognise that Your Honour must pass sentence today. “He understands that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment will follow. “He is someone who is unsophisticated and relatively immature for his age”. The defendant will be on the sex offenders register for life and subject to a sexual offences prevention order for five years, which bars him from having unsupervised contact with any child under 16. Febuary 2013 Burnley man raped schoolboy in sick attack A MAN who raped a schoolboy in a sickening alcohol-fuelled attack at a house in Burnley is facing a long prison sentence. Charles Hodgson (21) sexually assaulted his frightened victim, got him to take part in sex acts and then raped him in June last year. Hodgson, then 20, who had been on an all-day drinking session before he struck, had warned the boy not to tell anybody what had happened. But, the day after his ordeal, the victim told two female school friends. One had told her mother and police were called after the boy’s teacher took him to one side at his school in Burnley, and asked him what had happened. Hodgson, of Thurston Street, Burnley, was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and two charges of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, after a four-day trial at Burnley Crown Court. He had denied the allegations against him. The jury had heard how the defendant was arrested by the police and gave a number of different versions of events when he was questioned. The defendant was remanded in custody by Judge Christopher Cornwall, for a pre-sentence report, and he will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court in the week of March 11th. The judge said the probation service would undertake a risk assessment on Hodgson and added: “A custodial sentence of some length is unavoidable.” He told Hodgson: “You have been convicted of extremely serious sexual offences. It was utterly compelling evidence from the boy. You exploited his vulnerability and you then lacked the guts to admit what you had done, causing your barrister to put really hurtful allegations to him, which the jury has seen through.” During the trial, Mr Kevin Donnelly (prosecuting) told the court Hodgson told the schoolboy he was “horny” and twice asked him if he wanted to masturbate with him. The victim refused, but was beginning to feel shocked and disturbed by the defendant’s requests. Mr Donnelly said Hodgson would not take no for an answer and seemed angry. He began to perform a sex act on the boy and then instructed the victim to do the same to him. The schoolboy felt he had to co-operate and did what was asked of him, although he did not want to. Hodgson then performed oral sex on the boy. The teenager protested and felt more scared but did co-operate with what the defendant wanted. Mr Donnelly said Hodgson told the boy he wanted him to do the same to him. Mr Donnelly said the defendant orally raped the boy, who tried to push him away, but was not able to do so. The incident was brought to an end when Hodgson heard the sound of footsteps. The prosecutor said: “He pulled up his pants, adjusted his clothing and told the boy to do the same. The defendant left. He again warned the boy not to tell anyone about what had gone on. He said if he did tell anybody, they would think the defendant was a paedophile and he would be ostracised and hated.” Hodgson was interviewed by the police three days later. He had denied there had been acts of masturbation and denied completely there had been any acts of oral sex. The defendant told police he was horrified and said that was disgusting and something he would not ever contemplate.