DEREK RAWLINSON'S HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE ON SADDLEWORTH MOOR NEAR OLDHAM REVEALED

In a chilling case that has shocked the community near Saddleworth Moor outside Oldham, Derek Rawlinson, an 80-year-old man from Littleborough, has been convicted of subjecting his three children to a decade of severe and systematic abuse. The horrifying details emerged during a court hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, where Rawlinson pleaded guilty to charges of child cruelty and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, resulting in a four-year prison sentence.

Rawlinson’s wife, Maureen, aged 76, also faced charges of child cruelty. She admitted her involvement and was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years. The couple, who married in 1957 when Maureen was just 17, had six children together. Tragically, their family was marred by tragedy early on, with one son dying at just four months old in 1960, and their eldest son James, aged 12, drowning in a pond at their remote farmhouse in 1971 while attempting to rescue his younger brother Peter, aged seven.

The devastating events and the subsequent mental health struggles of the family members were detailed during the trial. Prosecutor Mr. Hall explained that the double tragedy, witnessed by two of the siblings aged 10 and nine at the time, precipitated a severe mental breakdown in Derek Rawlinson. This breakdown marked the beginning of a brutal period of control, violence, and emotional neglect inflicted upon the remaining children.

According to court records, Rawlinson became a bitter, violent, and controlling figure who directed his frustrations onto his surviving children—two girls and a boy. His wife, Maureen, was accused of doing little to shield her children from his wrath and, over time, even supporting his abusive behavior. The children were subjected to physical violence, emotional manipulation, and neglect, often kept isolated from friends and relatives. The court heard that the children were deliberately kept away from social contact, with their parents preventing visits and fostering distrust among siblings.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the abuse involved depriving the children of food. They were often sent to their rooms during mealtimes or made to eat inedible or humiliating foods. For instance, one girl was caught smuggling dates into her room and was forced to eat them covered in mustard, while another was made to eat raw eggs. The older daughter, around 12 years old, faced extreme punishment after attempting to sneak a jar of raspberries into her room; her bedroom floorboards were ripped up, and her furniture was burned. She was also subjected to name-calling, being branded as a “slut,” “the village bike,” and other degrading terms. Her hair was cut so short that her headmaster allowed her to wear her coat hood in class until it grew back.

Further acts of violence included Rawlinson grabbing a shotgun and firing into furniture while his daughter cowered nearby. When she sustained a head injury during a beating, her parents stitched her wound themselves using a bent needle. The younger daughter, approximately eight years old, was subjected to even more cruelty—her belongings were thrown out of her window onto the farmland, including her only doll and school clothes, which were left to rot in the rain. Rawlinson also forced her to touch an electric fence at the farm to test if it was working, only to laugh as she recoiled from the wire after changing into her school shoes. He cruelly told her he wished she had been aborted and that she “belonged in horror films.”

Throughout the years, the children endured physical and emotional scars. The older daughter, who was afraid of spiders, was placed in dark, damp areas of the farmhouse, and both girls were regularly punched and kicked. They were instructed to lie about their injuries, claiming they fell. Despite their suffering, they confided in their mother, Maureen, who responded with chastisement and further punishment. The trauma persisted into adulthood, with the women eventually sharing their experiences with friends and loved ones, leading to police involvement after one of their sons reported the abuse.

Rawlinson denied the allegations, claiming his eldest daughter was a “problem child” and “mentally ill,” and accused the other girl of being a drug addict. He alleged that both women fabricated their stories to seek financial gain from him and his wife, asserting that they were “quite wealthy.” However, Judge Maurice Greene condemned Rawlinson’s actions, emphasizing the lasting damage inflicted upon his children. The judge stated, “You children have a lack of self-worth and an inability to show love to their own children. The scars are still with them. One still has nightmares and remains in fear of you. What you did to your children can only be described as the most terrible cruelty that blighted their childhood and their lives—even to the present day.”