May 2016 Notts mum fears ‘vile’ paedophile will be out of prison in a year A distraught mother has slammed the sentence handed down to a Mansfield man convicted of sexually abusing her young daughter. And, as she struggles to protect her “petrified” little girl, the mum says that the courts have not gone far enough to protect them from paedophile John Lett. Lett, aged 64, of Arran Square, Mansfield, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after being found guilty of sexually abusing the young girl. But the panicked mum said the sentence was not anywhere near what Lett deserved – and she now fears what will happen if he is released early on parole. The mum from Mansfield, who cannot be named, said: “I can’t believe somebody who has done such a horrible crime could be out in less than a year, and my daughter’s got to carry that around for the rest of her life.” Lett was sentenced on May 12 to two and a half years in prison, but with fears he may be back in the open before then, the Mansfield mum is terrified for her daughter – and says justice has not been served. “My daughter is distraught,” she told the Chad. “Knowing he’s going to be back out on the street in just under a year – she’s petrified.” “He befriended my ex-husband, probably for the sole purpose of getting to my daughter. “I had absolutely no inkling of what was happening to her – she was staying at her father’s address and it was only when a neighbour told me they recognised him, and he was done previously for indecent photographs that I asked her.” Now with the help of the Chad, the family have fought to get an image of Lett in the open. The mum added: “I don’t want to see his evil face every again, he’s traumatised her enough. But we think people should be aware of who this man is. Would you want him next door to you? “Every parent should be aware of him and his crimes. I wouldn’t want any other parent to go through what I currently am. “He’s a vile, manipulative man and every mother should be made aware of him.” Lett was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on May 12. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said sentencing was in the hands of independent judiciary and judges often have good reasons for lenient jail terms. They added: “This was an awful crime and our thoughts are with the victim and her family. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary, who base their decisions on the facts of each case.” Lett’s finding comes after a five-day trial in February at Nottingham Crown Court. He pleaded not-guilty to three sexual offences against a young girl and the jury found him guilty of sexually abusing her at her home in the Mansfield area. Two separate charges of touching her sexually on other occasions were cleared. Recorder Stuart Sprawson, said he faced “a substantial and significant term of imprisonment”, and on May 12 the judge handed the man a term two and a half years. The judge told him after the verdict was read: “You have been convicted of a single charge of sexual assault against a very young child. The charges relate to when the girl was aged between five and eight on dates between January 2011 and October 2013, and the trial heard that the alleged offences happened when Lett was looking after the girl when her father attended medical appointments. This was a favour to the dad, with whom he had become “quite good friends” after the dad had split up with his wife (the girl’s mother) and she had moved out. Lett used to visit the home for cups of tea and to help with DIY jobs around the house. The abuse came to light in September 2015, the court heard, when the girl’s mum discovered Lett had similar previous convictions and asked her daughter if Lett had ever touched her. “I thought John could be trusted,” she said in a statement to the trial. “He seemed like a genuinely nice family man.” Lett denied the allegations and said the girl was “affectionate” towards him and ran up to him for a hug every time he visited. He also popped her on his knee to help her with her reading, and said the idea that he sexually touched her was “disgusting”.   February 2016 Mansfield child abuser back in court A child abuser from Mansfield is back in court – facing three new charges of sexually assaulting a little girl. John Kenneth Lett, 64, of Arran Square, denies the allegations which took place between January 2011 and October 2013. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Lett abused the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she was aged between five and eight. The accusations came to light when the victim’s mother discovered his previous convictions. The court was told that in November 2013 Lett pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a child and taking a picture of her which he shared on the internet. He was also found in possession of a large number of pictures of prepubescent girls. In a statement, the girl’s mother said she thought Lett was ‘a pleasant, family orientated man’ who had visited the family home to help with DIY jobs. In October 2015 she found out about Lett’s previous conviction and quizzed her daughter. The girl’s response prompted her to call the police and the jury heard a recording of the 999 call in which her daughter could be heard crying in the background. The mother said: “She kept saying ‘He’s going to get me.’ In my opinion she was frightened. I asked her if John had made threats. She said he told her not to say anything. “I thought John could be trusted. He seemed like a genuinely nice family man.” The girl’s father told the court he left her with Lett during the school holidays when he had to attend the doctors, but could not remember how many times this happened. PC Nicola Limbert cross-referred dates of the girl’s school holidays and her father’s medical appointments and found six dates in August 2011 and August 2012 that matched. She told the court she had interviewed Lett on October 13 and 14 last year and on both occasions he denied sexually touching the girl or ever being alone with her. Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said: “It started when she thinks she was four or five. The defendant told her not to tell anyone about it.” Mr Kemp said: “Her mother asked her if he had ever taken any pictures of her. She just grunted and denied it. Her mother thought that she looked horrified. “Her mother asked her if he had ever touched her. At that point she began to scream. “She said it had happened every time he had been left alone with him. It was clear that she was frightened. “She kept telling her mother ‘He’s going to get me.’ The prosecution says that fear was planted in her mind.” Mr Kemp said that Lett told police he had ‘regularly sat with the girl and helped her with her reading.’ He denied touching her and having any sexual interest in children more generally. “The prosecution says that claim is demonstrably untrue,” said Mr Kemp. Lett said he had attended a sexual offenders’ therapy programme and was not attacted to children. The trial continues.