DAVID LEE STRATFORD BINGO HALL SEX ABUSE CASE - TOP JUDGES REJECT APPEAL

In a case that has spanned decades, David Lee, a 63-year-old man residing on Caistor Park Road in Stratford, faced serious allegations of sexual abuse involving a young girl during the 1970s. The victim, who was only seven years old at the time, endured the abuse while Lee was employed at the Rex Bingo Hall located in Stratford. The trauma she experienced remained a secret for nearly 40 years, until law enforcement authorities finally apprehended Lee and brought him to justice.

Lee vehemently denied the allegations, asserting his innocence throughout the legal proceedings. However, the evidence presented in court was compelling enough to secure a conviction. On October 14 of the previous year, at Inner London Crown Court, Lee was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault. The court sentenced him to a substantial prison term of five and a half years, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the need for justice for the young victim.

Following his conviction, Lee sought to challenge the verdict. He appealed to the Court of Appeal, requesting that his convictions be overturned or, alternatively, that his sentence be reduced. His legal representatives argued that the trial judge had made a legal error by not stopping the proceedings, citing the significant delay—38 years—between the alleged offences and the start of the prosecution. They contended that such a lengthy delay compromised the fairness of the trial and questioned the reliability of the victim’s memory after so many years.

Despite these arguments, the appeal was ultimately dismissed. Mr Justice MacDuff, sitting alongside Lord Justice Gross and Mr Justice Ramsey at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, stated that there was no substantial legal error in the trial judge’s decision. He emphasized that the judge had followed proper protocols and had carefully considered all the evidence before making his ruling. The court concluded that the grounds for overturning the conviction were not arguable and refused permission for the appeal to proceed, reaffirming the original verdict and sentence handed down to David Lee in Stratford.