KEVIN LEAHY, DAGENHAM ELECTRICIAN, SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES

In December 2015, Kevin Leahy, a 60-year-old electrician residing on Westfield Road, Dagenham, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a series of child sex crimes. Leahy manipulated his young victims by giving them presents and pocket money before inviting them into his home. His crimes included raping a girl on her 13th birthday and showing a young boy a video of him and his wife engaged in group sex.

One victim, overwhelmed by her experiences, abandoned her career as a police officer due to the daily reminders of her trauma. Another victim has attempted suicide twice, illustrating the severe impact of Leahy's actions. During the sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Martin Griffith remarked, “I have never seen anything as extreme as this.”

Leahy's criminal activities came to light after he was convicted the previous year for abusing three girls. He received a jail term of six years and nine months for two counts of indecent assault from 1985, and one count each of sexual assault and engaging in sexual activity in front of a child from 2009.

Police investigations uncovered a collection of DVDs containing footage of sexual acts, which were recorded after Leahy installed a hidden camera in his spare bedroom. Although convicted of four counts of child abuse following a trial, Leahy admitted to four voyeurism charges related to the footage stored at his home.

In a subsequent trial last month, he was found guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, and other charges, including three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual acts, and three counts of gross indecency.

Earlier, in February 2014, Leahy, then aged 58, was sentenced to six years and nine months for multiple historic child sex offences that spanned over three decades. The crimes included two counts of indecent assault, sexual assault of a child aged between seven and 11, and engaging in sexual activity with a child under 13. He also pleaded guilty to four counts of voyeurism.

These offences occurred primarily in Dagenham residences and the victims’ homes. Detective Chief Inspector Adam Lowe commented, “Today’s sentence will not undo the hurt caused but emphasizes how seriously the courts regard such breaches of trust by predators.”

Between February 17, 2005, and September 15, 2009, Leahy sexually assaulted a girl aged between seven and 11, who knew him through a mutual acquaintance. The girl was pressured into performing dance routines, sometimes naked or in underwear, while Leahy was observed playing with himself or sitting on a sofa. On one occasion, he assaulted her.

Leahy also indecently assaulted two sisters between January 1982 and August 1985, with one aged six to nine and the other eight to 11 at the time. This abuse was uncovered in 2012 after inappropriate text messages from Leahy were found on a victim's phone. Police discovered he had set up a camera in his upstairs bedroom, recording everything and storing the footage on DVDs. Along with his prison sentence, Leahy will be registered as a sex offender for life and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.