March 2022 Yorkshire mum who was ‘obsessed’ with young boys’ private parts attacked in prison A perverted and “sexually motivated” Yorkshire woman who was “obsessed” with the private parts of young boys has finally been sentenced after being attacked in prison whilst on remand Calculating and manipulative Diane Wade targeted five different boys who were between seven and 17-years-old as she “masqueraded” as someone who was just interested in horseplay. Over an eight-year period, there were 14 different incidents of “masochistic” sexual abuse, Hull Crown Court heard. Wade, 45, of New Burlington in Bridlington, was convicted by a jury of three offences of sexual activity with a boy under 16, one of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 and three of sexually assaulting a male. She denied the offences, which took place between December 2010 and December 2018. Wade had been convicted after a trial as long ago as March 2, last year but sentence had been repeatedly adjourned for more than a year after various problems arose. Wade was assaulted very recently in prison. Other prisoners were made aware of who she was and what she had done Judge John Thackray QC told Wade: “Your offending followed a familiar pattern. You were obsessed with male genitalia. Your offending was sexually motivated, with a masochistic element.” Wade “masqueraded” over the years as someone who was merely getting involved in harmless horseplay. “It most certainly was not,” said Judge Thackray. There were five victims aged between seven and 17 and the sexual behaviour spanned a period of eight years. Some of the charges involved multiple incidents. “There were 14 separate incidents of sexual abuse,” said Judge Thackray. Some of the incidents involved “shades of an abuse of trust” or grooming and there was a “significant disparity in age” between the boys and Wade. One of the victims was allowed to drink alcohol as part of the behaviour leading up to the offending. One of the boys was homeless and struggling with drug addiction at the time of the abuse. “Not only did you cause, on occasions, immense physical pain but you have left the victims with worries over their fertility and very significant trust issues,” said Judge Thackray. Wade was jailed for five years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. She will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely. Wade had been cleared by the jury of four offences and a not guilty verdict was entered on another charge on the direction of the judge.