June 2001 Man jailed for child abuse A man is starting a seven-year jail sentence for abusing two young children. Leslie Wise, 43, was told by a judge he had preyed on the boy and girl for his own “perverted sexual desires”. Chelmsford Crown Court heard yesterday how Wise began indecently assaulting a young boy from the age of seven until he was about 13. These matters only came to light after Wise, of Thorpe Road, Clacton, had been arrested for indecently assaulting a girl. The girl was aged six when Wise began the abuse, Jude Durr, prosecuting, told the court. Wise admitted 11 indecent assaults, one gross indecency involving the girl and six indecent assaults and four charges of gross indecency on the boy when he appeared in court for sentence. Apart from the seven-year jail sentence, he was also told to stay on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life. “You deliberately groomed these children to behave in a way which gratified your perverted sexual desires,” Judge Ben Pearson told Wise. Sarah Freeman, mitigating, said Wise was low on intelligence but was trying to understand his behaviour and receive treatment so he would not offend again. She also said Wise had saved his victims the ordeal of giving evidence in front of a jury by his guilty pleas.