October 2012 Trouble flares at Maidstone Crown Court as pervert Mark Cheal convicted of abusing young boy A pervert who sexually abused a young boy when he was himself a child is facing sentence after being convicted of 13 offences. Mark Cheal, of Henwood Green Road, Tunbridge Wells, was granted conditional bail until November 1. The 32-year-old father was found guilty of eight offences of indecency with a child and five of indecent assault. He was cleared of two charges of rape by direction of Judge Philip Statman and two of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault. Trouble broke out on the steps of Maidstone Crown Court after some of the guilty verdicts were taken. The judge ordered the public gallery be cleared on hearing that some jury members were concerned for their safety. But he told the eight women and four men: “I am going to ensure you are escorted away from the building. Any other party will be kept away from you.” Samantha Cohen, prosecuting, said Cheal was about 11 when he started abusing the victim – who was six. They would play computer games and look at football magazines. Cheal started by cuddling and kissing the victim and progressed to lying on top of him. It led on to other sexual activity. “You may form the view the boy was flattered by the attentions of the older boy,” Miss Cohen told the jury. “He didn’t tell anyone about it at the time. He didn’t because it was weird.” Cheal told the boy it was a secret. Miss Cohen said Cheal had previous convictions for dishonesty, possessing cannabis, driving matters and racially aggravated abusive words and behaviour. Granting conditional bail until sentence, Judge Statman told the jury: “These cases are never easy. It involves all of us going outside our comfort zone. We are dealing with horrible events, some times many years ago.” He told Jan Hayne, defending: “I have got to sentence him for offences committed by someone who would have been aged 11-13. “Clearly, the manner of sentencing an 11 to 13-year-old is wholly different than that of an adult defendant. That is a very important mitigating feature. It is imperative I have a pre-sentence report.”