LESLEY WEEDING'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN COLCHESTER: PERVERTED PAST AND GROOMING SCANDAL
In October 2017, a disturbing case emerged from Colchester involving Leslie Weeding, a man with a troubling history of sexual offenses against minors.Weeding, aged 38 at the time, was found to have engaged in inappropriate communication with young boys via Snapchat, a popular social media platform.
His actions included messaging two 12-year-old boys, offering to repair their pedal bikes for free, and showering them with expensive gifts such as an iPhone, a bike helmet, and cash.
Additionally, he provided one of the boys with his bank card, complete with the PIN, and even fixed his bike at no cost.
Weeding's interactions with minors were not isolated incidents.
He had a known hobby of repairing pedal bikes and was also known to own a motorbike.
His contact with the young boys appeared to be part of a pattern, with at least one boy believing he was communicating with someone of his own age.
However, the mother of one of the boys became increasingly suspicious after learning about Weeding’s criminal background, which included convictions related to child sexual abuse images.
This led her to become more vigilant about her son's activities.
Approximately three to four weeks before reporting Weeding to the police, the mother had been alerted by another parent about Weeding’s criminal history.
It was during this period that she discovered her son was meeting with Weeding.
The mother’s concerns were confirmed when she learned that Weeding had invited her son to his house, where he allegedly encouraged him to smoke cannabis.
Further alarm was raised when the boy’s sister found Facebook messages on her iPad that appeared to be grooming behavior.
Authorities were contacted, and police arrested Weeding on February 16, 2016.
An examination of his phone revealed ongoing conversations with the boys on Snapchat and Facebook.
Weeding was subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which prohibited him from contacting boys under the age of 16 following his previous conviction for making indecent images of children in 2016.
Despite this, he breached the order by continuing to communicate with minors.
During the court proceedings at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 26, the court heard details of Weeding’s breaches.
He pleaded guilty to violating the sexual harm prevention order.
Judge Patricia Lynch, seeking to address Weeding directly, called him into the witness box for a personal conversation.
She emphasized the importance of the order, stating, “Because of what you have done in the past, you must not contact young boys at all.
You must not encourage them to come round, you must not message them, you must not contact young boys at all.” Judge Lynch also advised Weeding to heed his mother’s advice, asserting, “As a mother myself, mothers always get it right.” She made it clear that any future contact with minors would result in imprisonment, warning him sternly, “If you approach young boys again I will send you to prison, do you understand?” Ultimately, Weeding was sentenced to a three-month prison term, suspended for two years, serving as a stern reminder of the seriousness of his actions and the ongoing risks posed by individuals with such criminal histories.
