DARREN CLARKE FROM WREXHAM SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR GROOMING AND SEXUALLY ABUSING 13-YEAR-OLD BOY IN NORTH WALES

In a case that has shocked the community of Wrexham and the wider North Wales region, Darren Clarke, aged 31, was sentenced to a decade behind bars at Mold Crown Court for his disturbing actions involving a young boy. The court heard how Clarke, who had previously served a six-year prison sentence for sex offences, moved to North Wales and became involved in voluntary work, which he exploited to gain the trust of a local family.

Clarke’s manipulative tactics included befriending the family and establishing a close relationship with their 13-year-old son. Over a period of approximately eight to ten months, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the boy, actions that the court described as both calculated and predatory. The judge, John Rogers QC, made it clear that Clarke’s behavior posed a significant threat to young boys and that his actions warranted a severe penalty to protect others and serve as a deterrent to similar offenders.

During the sentencing, Clarke showed no visible emotion as he was handed a 10-year prison term. He admitted to six counts of sexual assault involving the boy, who was aged 13 and 14 at the time of the abuse. The court was also informed that social workers became alarmed when they were denied access to the boy’s home, raising concerns about his safety and prompting police intervention.

Further investigations revealed that Clarke had introduced another individual, Michael Thomas O’Neill, a known paedophile, to the young boy. O’Neill subsequently molested the boy after masquerading as a priest. Following Clarke’s move from the bail hostel to Pant Robyn Farm in Wrexham, police issued sexual offender orders against both men, explicitly prohibiting them from associating with minors, especially the boy and his siblings.

Despite these restrictions, Clarke later breached the order by inviting the boy on holiday, which led to a two-year jail sentence. The full extent of the abuse only came to light when the boy later disclosed the details to police. It was revealed that the abuse had persisted for several months, with Clarke taking the family out, buying clothes for the children, and even purchasing mobile phones for the children and their mother, indicating a pattern of grooming and manipulation.

Clarke’s defense, represented by Bernadette Baxter, argued that he was committed to reform and had not sought out victims in a predatory manner. His move to North Wales was portrayed as an attempt at a fresh start, not a calculated effort to find new victims. However, the court emphasized that his actions had caused significant harm and that his previous convictions and subsequent behavior demonstrated a continued threat to young people.

In a related case, Michael O’Neill was sentenced to three years in prison for indecent assault on the same boy, to run concurrently with a five-year sentence for earlier sexual offences. The court’s verdict underscores the seriousness with which the justice system views such predatory behavior and the ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse in the North Wales area.