August 2006 Man sent to jail for serial sex offences A MID Wales man was jailed yesterday following a string of child sex crimes.  Horace Peter Shropshire admitted 16 serious sexual offences against two young girls.  The 64-year-old was jailed for seven years by a Mold Crown Court judge.  The court was told Shropshire did not think it was child abuse.  Shropshire, of Newtown, was also placed on a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, meaning he can never approach his victims again and must not have children in his home.  He pleaded guilty to raping a child under 13, indecent assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and indecency with a child.  Shropshire also admitted two counts of voyeurism where it was admitted he filmed children for his own sexual gratification.  Judge David Hale told Shropshire he behaved in an unforgivable way.  He said: “You have not put these children through the ordeal of coming to court and describing what happened.”  Shropshire previously told probation officers he never wanted to harm the children – when he clearly had.  The matters came to light when one of the victims told a tutor at school what was going on.  An investigation was launched and a second girl was also found to have been abused. In one case he actually raped the girl.  The voyeurism charges arose from video tapes seized by the police.  Karl Scholtz, prosecuting, said one victim later told police how she hated him. The second victim spoke of him in disgust.  Jonathan Edwards, defending, said Shropshire admitted what he had done and importantly stopped his criminal behaviour voluntarily before the police became involved.  “He realised that what he was doing was not right, that there must be some reason for it, and that it could not go on,” he explained.  The defendant was anxious for help while in prison and would seek out courses to assist him.