MARK CHAPMAN WERRINGTON CHILD ABUSER SENTENCED IN PETERBOROUGH

A mother from Peterborough has publicly condemned the leniency of the prison sentence handed to Mark Chapman, a convicted paedophile with a troubling history of child sexual offenses. Chapman, aged 44 and residing in Werrington, was sentenced to just 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the abuse of an 11-year-old boy. The mother, whose son was victimized by Chapman, expressed her outrage outside Peterborough Crown Court, describing the sentence as a "disgraceful" miscarriage of justice.

She explained that Chapman had previously served two separate prison terms for child sex offenses, including an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for physically and sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl. Despite these convictions, he was released and moved to Peterborough from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. During his time in Peterborough, he was caught attempting to conceal his past by changing his name to Mark Mancer. He then ingratiated himself with the boy’s family, establishing a relationship that led them to treat him as a trusted family friend, even as he continued to pose a danger to children.

The incident that led to his latest conviction occurred on February 5 of that year, a day marked by heavy snowfall that caused widespread disruption in Peterborough. Chapman was asked to pick up the 11-year-old boy from school, and he took advantage of the situation to lure the child to his flat. Prosecutors revealed that once there, Chapman sat the boy on his lap, showed him pornographic videos on his computer, and inappropriately rubbed the boy’s leg. These actions constituted causing a child to watch a sexual act, a serious offense that Chapman admitted to in court.

In addition to this, Chapman was found guilty of breaching a sexual offences prevention order, which had been imposed on him previously to prevent contact with minors. Judge Patrick Moloney QC described Chapman as a paedophile who represented a persistent threat to young children. He expressed particular concern over Chapman’s apparent irresistible impulse to commit such offenses, stating, “I’m very concerned that this man has an irresistible impulse to abuse children.”

Despite recognizing the severity of the case, the judge explained that the law limited his ability to impose a longer, indeterminate sentence for public protection, which would have kept Chapman incarcerated until he was deemed no longer a danger. “I wish I had the power because, if I did, I would use it,” the judge remarked. Given that Chapman had already served 83 days in custody on remand, the 30-month sentence is expected to see him released around June 2010, much to the dismay of the victim’s mother and advocates for stricter sentencing in such cases.