JOHN MASON AND LIVERPOOL OFFENDER WALK FREE AFTER HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE CASE

In September 2017, John Mason, a man from Liverpool, was acquitted and released from court after being convicted of abusing a young boy in the early 1980s. Mason, now 51, was between 14 and 16 years old at the time of the abuse. He pleaded guilty to an offence of indecent assault, which today would be classified as oral rape—a crime carrying a maximum life sentence. However, since the offences were committed decades ago, justice was limited by the law as it stood at the time.

Judge Denis Watson, QC, explained, “There is no real purpose imposing what would seem to everybody to be a ridiculously short sentence,” referencing the fact that the maximum penalty when the crime was committed was only three months. Due to Mason's guilty plea, the judge acknowledged he would likely serve only a few weeks in detention.

Liverpool Crown Court was told that the victim, who is now an adult, had confided in Mason about the abuse as a teenager. Mason had confessed to the victim, but he did not report it to authorities. The survivor recalled Mason removing both their clothes and saying, “I’ll do it to you and you do it to me.” Prosecutor Robert Dudley stated, “He was left scared and confused and suffered nightmares and bed-wetting.”

Before Mason moved to Scotland—where he currently resides—the victim told his girlfriend about the oral rape experience. Over the years, he struggled with depression and disclosed to his general practitioner that he had also been molested as a child. He received counseling and shared how he had felt “frightened and ashamed.” Today, the victim expressed ongoing trauma, saying, “Having to live and cope with what has happened to me has been and still is an everyday struggle.”

In 1995, Mason told an ex-wife that he had forced the young boy to perform oral sex. In 2010, the victim’s mother contacted police to warn them that Mason posed a danger to children. Later, Mason visited his daughter in Liverpool and confessed to her that he had abused the boy. A formal complaint was filed in 2015, which led to police interviews. Mason was questioned again in February 2016 but did not comment. Authorities could not determine Mason’s precise age at the time of the offence, only that he was between 14 to 16, which impacted sentencing options.

Under the Criminal Justice Act 1961, the maximum sentence for someone aged 14—like Mason at the time—was only three months’ detention. The court considered Mason’s lack of prior convictions, his remorse shown through confessions, and the fact that the case only came to light because of his initial admission.

Ultimately, Judge Denis Watson sentenced Mason to a three-year community order, requiring him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years.