JAMES GREY TRIES TO ESCAPE JUSTICE IN TRANMERE CHILD SEX CASE AT LIVERPOOL CROWN COURT

In June 2019, a disturbing case unfolded at Liverpool Crown Court involving James Grey, a resident of Frodsham Street in Tranmere, who was convicted of a heinous child sex offence committed decades earlier. Grey, aged 73 at the time, faced a jury that found him guilty of molesting a nine-year-old girl in a case rooted in a historic incident from the 1960s.

Throughout the proceedings and upon his release from court, Grey displayed a shocking lack of remorse. When approached by a reporter outside the courtroom, he declared, "I never touched her," despite the jury's verdict. His demeanor was unrepentant as he walked free, having been handed a suspended sentence by Judge Bryan Cummings QC.

The judge sentenced Grey to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and imposed a restraining order that prohibits him from making any contact with his victim. The victim, who was present during the sentencing, was visibly distressed, bursting into loud sobs as she was supported by her family while witnessing Grey's release after his conviction.

The court heard that Grey's assault took place in the 1960s when he was a teenager. The prosecution revealed that Grey lured the young girl by showing her an Airfix model of an aeroplane, then proceeded to carry out the assault. According to court testimony, Grey held her down on a bed, lifted her dress to her chest, and forcibly placed his hand into her underwear.

Prosecutor Frank Dillon described the incident: "She went over and when she stood near to him, James Grey pulled her onto the bed and was then on top of her. She recalls her hands being over her head and he was holding them with his right hand. James Grey, using his left hand, lifted her dress up to her chest area and then placed his hand into her knickers and she recalls his hand coming out of her knicker leg."

The victim reported the assault more than 50 years later, encouraged by a family member, which led to Grey's arrest on December 6, 2017. He was subsequently convicted following a jury trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

In a victim personal statement submitted to the court but not read aloud, the woman described the profound and lasting impact the assault had on her life. She recounted the emotional toll: "Over the last 18 months the stress, anxiety, tears, telling my brothers what you had done, seeing them upset and angry. Something personal and private was now known by [my family], giving a video statement not once but twice to the police who were complete strangers to me, then the evidence being shown to complete strangers in court. Standing up in a witness box knowing they had seen them, there are no words to describe how I felt."

She further expressed how her life had been turned upside down: "My whole life turned upside down again. My home life, things I used to do on a regular basis — experimenting with new recipes for tea, baking — none of it meant anything any more." She emphasized that her pursuit of justice was not about revenge but about seeking accountability for a crime committed against her as a child: "They say revenge is a dish best served cold but this was not about revenge — this was about me getting justice. Justice for a nine-year-old girl who never forgot."