March 2014 Stockton kickboxing coach’s original four-and-a-half year sentence was “unduly lenient”, top judges rule A FORMER doorman and martial arts teacher who groomed and sexually abused two of his pupils has had his sentence more than doubled to ten years by Court of Appeal judges. Paul Monty, 54, of Elton, near Stockton, was found guilty of 13 child sex charges at Teesside Crown Court in December and sentenced to four and a half years by Judge Peter Bowers. He sexually abused two underage girls in the 1980s while he was their martial arts instructor. But solicitor general Oliver Heald QC referred the matter to the Court of Appeal after complaints from the public that the sentence was unduly lenient. Court of Appeal judges today (Tuesday, March 11) agreed with him – and increased the sentence to ten years. Mr Heald told The Northern Echo: “The Attorney General and I are able to put a case up to the court when it is unduly lenient, a gross error. “There were two girls involved and they were very serious sexual offences. They obviously looked up to him as a Martial Arts instructor and he took advantage, and they believed they had a real relationship. “With something like child sex abuse which is a very serious crime and a great concern to the public, if we see one which is half what it should be, then yes, we will take it to the Court of Appeal.” He said that out of about 400 cases that were brought to his attention each year as being too lenient, between 70 and 100 would be sent to the Court of Appeal for tougher sentencing. He added: “Sexual crimes, especially those which breach the trust between a pupil and teacher, should be punished appropriately. “Today the Court sent a clear message that anyone who violates the trust of children, no matter how long ago, will face the proper consequences.” Monty, now a father-of-four, had a sexual relationship with both girls at the same time without each other’s knowledge. He tied them up and had sex with them in his home and at his family’s furniture shop in Stockton. At his trial in Teesside he denied eight counts of indecency with a child, four charges of buggery and one of attempted buggery, but was found guilty. December 2013 Stockton martial arts tutor jailed for abusing schoolgirls A martial arts tutor who sexually abused two schoolgirls has been jailed for more than four years. Paul Monty, 54, groomed the underage girls, tied them up and had sex with them in his home and shop. The abuse happened in the 1980s when Monty was aged in his twenties. Decades after the abuse, the two victims came forward to give evidence as adults of the sexual encounters. Monty, of Elton, near Stockton, denied the 13 charges – eight of indecency with a child and five other sexual offences, but was found guilty after a trial earlier this month. The former shop owner and doorman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Sentencing Monty, Judge Peter Bowers said his victims were “flattered by the attention he gave them”. “You abused those two young girls in their teenage years,” Judge Bowers said. He added: “It is clear that the abuse had an effect on their adult lives and it is clear they both continue to suffer the impact of what happened when they were teenagers, even though it is 25 years ago.” During the trial the court heard that both victims had a crush on Monty as he gave them sweets and kissed them in his car. The first woman said: “I absolutely idolised him. I thought he was my boyfriend. “I believed I was going to marry him. I believed he loved me. I wanted to please him. I felt so special. I felt like a grown-up.” She said Monty, who is now married and has a family, picked her up from school, bought her dinner and set up a bed with dust sheets in a small back room at his shop, where he had sex with her. She said she felt “wined and dined” when he took her to a hotel room. She said she didn’t speak out until she was an adult because she was “in denial”. The second woman said she fell “hook, line and sinker” for Monty. She said: “I was totally thinking I was his girlfriend. He told me he loved me and I loved him.” She told how Monty snuck her into his house, played her an X-rated film, sent her a Valentine’s card, bought her a dress and perfume and they had sexual activity while he was driving. Each of the girls bought him teddy bears which he kept in a cupboard in his shop, the court was told. The court heard yesterday that the two complainants in the case wrote victim impact statements and spoke of their “deeply held feelings of shame and embarrassment” about what happened to them. Prosecuting, Anthony Dunne said that the victims, however, had contrasting feelings about the court proceedings. He said: “One said she got strength from speaking out while the other found it a traumatic and difficult experience.” Mitigating, Jim Withyman told Judge Bowers that Monty still denies the charges. He said he admitted he had sex with each of them when they were 18, but not when they were underage. Jurors found Monty guilty on December 2 after considering verdicts for almost six-and-a-half hours. They found him guilty on all counts – three unanimously, the rest by a 10-1 majority. Judge Bowers decided against giving Monty a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. He said: “The prosecution have to prove to me that it is necessary for an order to me made on the grounds that there is reason to believe that you will in future commit a similar offence and I am not persuaded by that.” Martial arts tutor ‘tied up underage girls’ and had sex with them in his shop and home A martial arts tutor is behind bars today after he was convicted of a string of sexual offences against two schoolgirls. Paul Monty tied up the underage girls and had sex with them in his home and in his shop. The 54-year-old was found guilty of 13 charges – eight of indecency with a child and five other serious sexual offences – at Teesside Crown Court today. The married dad, who still runs a gym on Teesside, committed the sex crimes in the 1980s when he was in his twenties. Now Monty, of Elton, near Stockton, is in custody until he is sentenced on December 16. Jurors considered verdicts for almost six-and-a-half hours. They found the former shopowner and doorman guilty on all counts – three unanimously, the rest by a 10-1 majority. Decades after the abuse, the two girls gave evidence as adults about their secret sexual encounters. Both said they a crush on Monty as he gave them sweets and kissed them in his car. The first woman said: “I absolutely idolised him. “I thought he was my boyfriend. I believed I was going to marry him. I believed he loved me. “I wanted to please him. I felt so special. I felt like a grown-up.” She said Monty picked her up from school, bought her dinner and set up a bed with dust sheets in a small back room at his shop, where he had sex with her. She felt “wined and dined” when he took her to a hotel room. She didn’t talk of the experiences until she was an adult. “I was still in denial,” she told police. The second woman said she fell “hook, line and sinker” for Monty. “I was totally thinking I was his girlfriend,” she told the court. “He told me he loved me, and I loved him.” The woman told how he snuck her into his house, played her the film 9½ Weeks, sent her a Valentine’s card, bought her a dress and perfume, and they had sexual activity while he was driving. Each of the girls bought him teddy bears, which he kept in a cupboard in his shop. Monty denied all of the allegations. Through his lawyers, he accused the two women of lying and making things up. The defendant said he had sex with each of them when they were 18, but not when they were underage. He showed little reaction to the guilty verdicts yesterday, except to look over to the public gallery and shake his head. Judge Peter Bowers adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. He told Monty, who had been on bail during the week-long trial: “I think it’s only right that you’re remanded in custody.” The judge thanked jurors for their attention to a case he described as difficult, trying and emotive.