DERRICK ROBERTS: SWINDON SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED FOR DECADES-OLD CHILD ABUSE CASES
In April 2017, a disturbing case involving long-standing child abuse allegations came to light in Swindon, leading to the conviction and sentencing of Derrick Roberts, a man with a troubling history of sexual offenses spanning several decades.Roberts, aged 63 at the time of sentencing, was found guilty of abusing two children during the 1970s, with the abuse leaving lasting scars on his victims.
The court heard that his first known victim was a young boy, aged nine or ten, whom Roberts repeatedly molested between 1969 and 1973, when Roberts himself was a teenager.
This pattern of abuse continued over several years, with the boy, who was between nine and twelve years old at the time, suffering at the hands of Roberts during Roberts’s teenage years.
Following his military career, which lasted approximately sixteen and a half years, Roberts’s focus shifted.
Towards the end of the 1970s, while on leave from the army, he turned his attention to a six-year-old girl residing in Swindon.
The abuse of the young girl occurred over the course of a year, from August 1976 to the summer of 1977, while Roberts was living on Cedar Close, Pinehurst.
During this period, he engaged in inappropriate touching and grooming behaviors, which he later admitted to police when questioned.
Roberts, who now resided on The Circle in Swindon, acknowledged that he had groomed and manipulated the children before carrying out the abuse.
However, he denied some of the more serious allegations, insisting that he had never penetrated the girl and claiming that some of the abuse involving the boy was either initiated by the boy himself when he was older or occurred when the boy was also underage.
Despite his denials, the jury, composed of six men and six women, did not believe his account and found him guilty of all eight charges he faced, including indecent assault, gross indecency, and other related offenses.
During the trial, the court heard how Roberts’s actions had profound and lasting effects on his victims.
The judge, Robert Pawson, sentenced Roberts to nine years in prison, emphasizing the severe impact of his crimes.
In his remarks, Judge Pawson described Roberts’s account of the abuse involving the boy as “lies on your part, and at best a fantasy,” underscoring the court’s rejection of his defenses.
In his sentencing statement, Judge Pawson highlighted the extensive harm caused by Roberts’s actions.
He explained that the abuse had significantly affected the life of the boy, reducing him to a shy teenager and impacting his marriage.
The judge pointed out that the effects of sexual abuse often extend far beyond the immediate incident, sometimes lasting for decades.
He noted that Roberts’s abuse of the girl, which resumed after his military service, was only uncovered thanks to her courage in coming forward.
The victim, who had struggled with intimate relationships and felt unable to have children due to her fears of not being able to protect them, described her ordeal as “a terrible toll” she had carried for over forty years.
She expressed hope that speaking out might bring some relief, and the court acknowledged her bravery in exposing Roberts’s crimes.
Roberts’s defense attorney, Tony Bignall, argued that his client had led a relatively isolated life after leaving the military, had no prior convictions, and was in poor health.
He also pointed out Roberts’s service in Northern Ireland and Germany, suggesting that he had maintained employment and had no previous criminal record.
Nevertheless, Judge Pawson made it clear that Roberts’s account of the abuse was untruthful and that his actions had caused significant and enduring harm.
The court’s decision to imprison Roberts reflects the seriousness with which such offenses are regarded, especially given the long history of abuse and the impact on the victims’ lives.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the lasting damage caused by sexual offenses committed against children, and the importance of justice in holding offenders accountable, regardless of how much time has passed.
