EX-POLICE OFFICER JAMES SOUTHWELL FROM ECCLES SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND RAPE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Eccles and the wider Greater Manchester area, James Southwell, a 68-year-old former police officer, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a series of heinous crimes involving the sexual abuse and rape of children over a span of nearly two decades.

Southwell, who once served with Greater Manchester Police, was found guilty of abusing a total of eight children—seven girls and one boy—during the 1970s and 1980s. The court proceedings revealed that many of his victims were of primary school age and that Southwell often invited them into his home in Eccles, Salford, where the abuse took place. Several victims testified that they were regular visitors to his residence, which he used as a place to carry out his depraved acts.

During the trial at Manchester Crown Court, Southwell admitted to two charges of rape but denied a further 34 counts, which included charges of indecent assault and attempted rape. Despite his denials, the jury found him guilty of all the charges brought against him. The court heard harrowing details of the prolonged abuse, with one victim—a woman now aged 35—testifying that the assaults began when she was just six or seven years old and continued until she reached 18.

The court also learned that Southwell, who was an officer in the 1960s, was not only sexually abusive but also physically abusive, often beating the children in his care. In addition to the abuse, Southwell was convicted of procuring an abortion on a 17-year-old girl, a charge he had previously denied. The jury was told that he used an instrument to terminate her pregnancy, further highlighting the extent of his depravity.

In delivering the sentence, the judge condemned Southwell for exploiting his position of trust and using the children to satisfy his