DAVID WILSON JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IN LUTTERWORTH AND WIGSTON

In a case that has left the local communities of Wigston and Lutterworth deeply shaken, David Allan Wilson, aged 67, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the heinous crimes of grooming and sexually abusing an eight-year-old boy. The incident, which spanned over five years, involved Wilson repeatedly subjecting the young victim to indecent assaults, with the abuse ceasing only when the boy reached his early teens.

Wilson, who previously resided in Wigston before relocating to Upper Bruntingthorpe, Lutterworth, admitted to six counts of indecent assault during his appearance at Leicester Crown Court. The court proceedings were marked by the presence of the now adult victim, who was in his twenties, attending to witness the sentencing and to find some measure of closure. After the hearing, the victim expressed a mixture of relief and lingering pain, stating, “I feel he deserves the sentence but it can’t give me my childhood back. There must be something wrong with him and I want him to get help to protect other children. I don’t know what I’d have grown up like if this never happened, whether I’d be a different person to the one I am now.”

He further added, “I’m glad I came forward to stop his activities. I wanted to see him one last time, for closure. Looking at him in the dock, I felt he’s not controlling me any more – he was the one now being controlled.”

Judge Sylvia De Bertodano, presiding over the case, expressed concern that Wilson posed a continued threat to other young boys. She remarked, “You were 40 years older than the victim, who was only eight when this started. For many years, this little boy had to put up with abuse. You’ve ruined the lives, not only of this child but also the members of his family.”

Prosecutor Mary Prior revealed that Wilson, who had previously been involved in managing a boys’ club in New Parks, had groomed the victim by buying him presents and building a pattern of manipulation. The abuse persisted until the victim reached his early teens. When Wilson was arrested last August, he initially denied any wrongdoing but later admitted to the charges.

In mitigation, Steven Newcombe highlighted that Wilson had no prior convictions and suggested that his life was now in ruins. He stated, “His life is in ruins. It’s punishment now, at a relatively senior age, for something that happened a long time ago. There were elements of grooming, but the entire conduct would not be fairly said to be grooming across the board.”

As part of his sentence, Wilson was subjected to a sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from having contact with the victim, working with children, or having unsupervised contact with males under 16. Additionally, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

The victim’s mother expressed her anguish following the sentencing, saying, “A 50-year sentence wouldn’t be long enough after hearing what he did to my son. Despite this, my boy has still turned out to be a fantastic and successful man.” The case has left a lasting impact on the local communities of Wigston and Lutterworth, highlighting the importance of vigilance and justice in protecting vulnerable children from such predatory behavior.