FRANK COOPER FROM CHARD AND DORCHESTER SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST TEENAGERS IN DORCHESTER

In March 2013, a man named Frank Maurice Cooper, who resides in Millfield, Chard, Somerset, was convicted of multiple serious sexual offences involving two 14-year-old girls in Dorchester. The case was heard at Dorchester Crown Court, where Cooper was found guilty of six counts related to sexual activity with minors. Following the verdict, he was sentenced to a total of four years and nine months in prison, reflecting the gravity of his actions.

The incidents in question occurred on September 9 of the previous year. On that day, Cooper, who had been drinking heavily, encountered a group of teenage girls in the Borough Gardens area of Dorchester. The girls, all aged 14, were accompanied by friends when they crossed paths with Cooper. After the initial meeting, Cooper followed the group to a nearby play area off Maiden Castle Road, where the girls had planned to camp overnight. It was at this location that the alleged misconduct took place.

The jury heard detailed accounts from the victims, describing how Cooper had sexually touched them on multiple occasions while they were at the play area. The police were called to the scene following the girls’ reports of the incidents. During police questioning, Cooper denied the allegations, claiming that he had been play fighting with one of the girls that day and that any accidental touching of the other girl was unintentional and not sexual in nature. Despite his denials, the evidence presented in court led to his conviction.

It was also revealed during the trial that Cooper had a prior history of sexual misconduct. In 1999, he received a caution for sexual activity with a child, which involved him having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl, resulting in the birth of a child. Additionally, just days before the offences for which he was on trial, Cooper was issued a child abduction warning notice, although this was unrelated to the current case involving the two teenage victims.

During mitigation, lawyer David Jenkins argued that all the offences occurred on a single day and did not constitute a pattern of ongoing abuse. He emphasized that there were no threats or physical violence involved, although he acknowledged that the victims might have felt intimidated due to Cooper’s age and drunken state.

Judge Roger Jarvis delivered a stern judgment, condemning Cooper’s conduct. He described Cooper’s behavior as “quite disgraceful,” starting with his drunken nuisance in the Borough Gardens and escalating into that of a “drunken predator.” The judge pointed out that Cooper had targeted the two young girls and persisted despite their confusion and fear. He emphasized the impact on the victims, stating that they would have been “confused, bewildered and frightened” by his actions.

As part of his sentence, Cooper was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was prohibited from working with children in any capacity. The case highlights the serious consequences of such misconduct and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable minors from predatory behavior.