JOHN HATCH SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS IN PRISON IN BURNLEY FOR CHILD ABUSE
In October 2017, John Hatch, a 68-year-old man from Dawlish Close, Blackburn, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Burnley Crown Court for sexually abusing four children.The court heard that Hatch gave one victim £10 after abusing her and threatened to kill her if she disclosed what had happened.
Another male victim was rewarded with sweets or fruit, while a third victim was offered bottles of pop and told that if she told anyone, he would kill her mother.
Prosecutor Kathryn Johnson explained that the offences involved three girls and one boy, with the youngest victims being only five years old at the onset of the abuse.
She also revealed that a warning had been issued in 1997 after a victim reported Hatch’s abuse, but he was only cautioned at that time.
It was not until 2014, when a second victim came forward, that a detailed investigation was initiated.
Hatch was subsequently arrested and interviewed in 2015 and 2016.
Hatch initially denied the allegations, claiming he had never abused any of the victims, and maintained this stance during his initial appearance at Blackburn magistrates' court.
However, a week before his trial in September 2017, he pleaded guilty to five counts of indecency with a child and six indecent assaults.
Victim impact statements, read out in court by Ms.
Johnson, detailed how Hatch’s abuse destroyed their childhoods.
The victims, now adults, described feeling distant, being easy targets for bullies, and suffering from trust issues that affected their adult relationships.
One victim expressed that she was reclusive, bullied, and highly vulnerable, suffering a loss of confidence that led to abusive relationships.
She believed she was the only one to report the abuse and felt others had been victims as well.
Judge Gibson sentenced Hatch to 12 years and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
Additionally, he was placed under an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, prohibiting him from having unsupervised contact with any child under 16.
