LINDA DENHAM-LARHOLT SENTENCED IN PORTSMOUTH FOR ABUSE CASE REVEALING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE BY MOTHER

A son who was sexually abused by his mother during childhood has spoken out after she received a suspended jail sentence, expressing his feelings with the words: "She's dead to me." Andrew Stevens, now 44, shared that his life has been deeply affected by his mother, Linda Denham-Larholt, age 67, who exploited him as a young boy.

According to court reports, when Andrew was barely a teenager, she coerced him into touching her breasts under the guise of comforting him in her bed. This abuse occurred while her late stepfather, John, was away in Saudi Arabia. Andrew, who has waived his anonymity, told The News: "I want to think of her as being dead."

He added, "I don't care what happens to her. I'm not going to give her that any more. I've got to let go and just move on and be an orphan—it's better that way. It has seriously screwed me up. I hate her for what she's done."

At Portsmouth Crown Court, prosecutor Rufus Taylor described the relationship between mother and son as "odd." The court heard that when Andrew questioned his mother about his lack of childhood memories and the possibility of counseling, she responded: "They'd probably just say that you were sexually abused."

Andrew had previously reported the abuse to Hampshire police but faced disappointment when officers expressed doubt, saying "a jury would never believe a mother would do such a thing to her son." He recounted that in 1999 police visited her, and she denied the allegations but was not formally interviewed. Hampshire Police now state that there is no record of such an interview but confirm that officers have received training on handling such allegations. It was only in 2015 that Andrew revisited the police, leading to a formal investigation, which was later taken over by Sussex Police.

Yesterday, Judge Michael Vere-Hodge QC handed down a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years, along with a one-month curfew and the use of an electronic tag. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years following her conviction for indecency with a child last month.

The judge explained that the sentence was based on "an isolated incident of incitement to commit an act of gross indecency." Addressing Denham-Larholt directly, he said, "On one occasion you encouraged, or your son was already in your bed for comforting, and you incited him to feel your breasts."

He emphasized that such conduct is highly unusual and publicly condemned: "It doesn't need me to emphasise that this is highly unusual for a mother to commit such an offence on her own son." The crime was deemed serious but not among the most severe of indecencies.

Denham-Larholt, who denied all charges, was cleared of indecent assault against her son as a child and also of a separate charge when he was an adult. Jordan Franks, her lawyer, noted that she suffers from COPD, asthma, depression, and anxiety and highlighted family trauma. Probation services assessed her as being at low risk of re-offending.