November 2015 Businessman jailed almost 40 YEARS after sexually abusing 10-year-old boy A businessman has been jailed almost 40 years after he committed serious sex offences against a schoolboy. Edward McGrath, now 55 was only a teenager of 16 or 17 himself when he abused the 10-year-old at a house in Huddersfield. He was found guilty by a jury last month at Leeds Crown Court of three charges of indecent assault and another of a serious sexual assault all committed on the same occasion. When he appeared for sentence, David Dixon prosecuting said it all happened in one incident when McGrath was showing the boy some comics in a bedroom and then went on to sexually abuse him in a number of ways. He told the boy: “If you tell anyone there is going to be trouble.” Mr Dixon said it was the Crown’s case the complainant had suffered physical and psychological damage as a result, he described in his victim impact statement: “Not a day has gone by I haven’t thought about what happened all those years ago’.” He said he had problems with relationships since and hoped he could now come to terms with what had happened Robin Frieze representing McGrath of Howard Road, Lindley, Huddersfield, said immediate prison would be a draconian sentence since he had led an exemplary life for many years and the impact would be the loss of his business. “You are dealing with one serious incident nearly 40 years ago but before and since he has led a blameless life. “This was very serious but it was a one off piece of immature sexual experimentation which has caused real harm.” Jailing McGrath for six years Judge Sally Cahill QC told him she accepted he had lived a responsible life and had read testimonials about him but there had to be custody even if it was sexual experimentation. She said: “The victim said all he ever wanted was for him to acknowledge what he had done to me physically and emotionally and show some remorse and apologise.”