JAMES READING, OFFENDER FROM PLYMOUTH, SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS FOR ABUSE AT OKEHAMPTON AIR TRAINING CORPS
A fugitive sergeant from the Air Training Corps, James Reading, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for abusing three girl cadets.Reading, who was the commanding sergeant at the Okehampton detachment in North Devon, went on the run two-and-a-half years ago while facing serious allegations of sexual assault involving three young female members of his troop.
In December 2012, he was convicted and sentenced in his absence to a decade behind bars.
Following his conviction, police issued alerts to Interpol and conducted an international search for him.
Reading was eventually located and arrested in Bicester, Oxfordshire, earlier this week.
He was then taken to Exeter Crown Court in custody to face charges related to his earlier absconding.
The case was adjourned until next month to allow him to secure legal representation.
During the proceedings, Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, ordered Reading to appear before Judge Erik Salomonsen, who had issued his original sentence, and warned that Reading could face an additional twelve months in jail.
As the commanding officer at the Okehampton ATC, Reading was responsible for organizing events such as parties and sleepovers.
He exploited his position to sexually abuse victims; for example, he assaulted one girl after promising her a promotion if she accompanied him on night exercises, and similarly targeted another victim on the night before a Remembrance Day parade.
He would host unofficial parties at the ATC hut, where he concealed his activities by hanging bin bags over the windows as makeshift curtains.
During these events, Reading invited boys but kept them occupied with errands or sent them to different rooms while he sexually exploited the girls.
In one disturbing incident, he offered a girl £50 to touch her chest.
The abuse was discovered when a female cadet burst into the hut’s kitchen to find Reading with a terrified, topless 14-year-old girl, who was hysterical.
The incident exposed the misconduct.
Reading, aged 37 and residing on Knighton Road, Plymouth, denied all eight charges of sexual activity with a child or inciting a child to engage in sexual acts.
However, he was convicted in December 2012 by a jury at Exeter, in his absence, of offenses involving a 14-year-old girl and two 15-year-old girls.
Judge Salomonsen emphasized the importance of the ATC’s role in the community, stating, 'The ATC fulfills an important role in the community and parents must know they can rely on them to look after their children.' He added that high standards should have been maintained, especially regarding alcohol consumption and the separation of sexes during overnight activities, underscoring the gravity of Reading’s misconduct.
