March 2015: Ian Gregory has now been released March 2014 ‘He stole my boys innocence away’ Ian David Gregory is today exposed as a predator who sexually abused a 12 year old autistic boy And as the 46-year old former soldier starts a prison sentence, his victims mother told of the horrifying moment her teenage son told her he had been abused The 33-year mum, who is from the Consett area but now lives in the south east said: “My son said, hes been doing things to me” “I just felt sick when he told me. As a mother that is just your worst nightmare” “Its just the thing you never want to happen. I just felt like I hadn’t protected him” Gregory, of Fellside terrace, Stanley, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault with a child, two of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one of causing a child to watch sexual images and 14 counts of possession of prohibited images The abuse happened when he was living in the Basingstoke area At Winchester crown court, defending said, he had begun accessing indecent images of children on the internet after he left the army 5 years ago following a 12-year career in the armed forces And she added that Gregory had discovered he had an sexual attraction to young boys Prosecuting said, the sexual assault had a devastating effect on the victim and hsi mother, who have since had to move from the area Gregory had not admitted to the sexual assault before police found a video on his phone In sentencing Gregory to 25 months in prison, the judge said, “these courts sadly accustomed to seeing the tragic case that you present this morning” The judge also imposed a sexual offences order and ordered that he be on the sex offenders register for 7 years