PAUL SCOTT FROM PLYMOUTH AND TORBAY SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES AND INDECENT IMAGES
In a series of disturbing criminal cases, Paul Scott, a man with ties to Plymouth and Torbay, has been subjected to severe legal penalties after being found guilty of multiple serious offenses involving child abuse and possession of indecent images.Back in December 2014, Scott, aged 46, was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls over a period spanning from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
The Plymouth Crown Court heard that Scott had committed these heinous acts more than two decades prior, with one victim only coming forward after reading a newspaper report about his previous conviction for possessing vile images of young girls three years earlier.
The court proceedings revealed that Scott, residing at Hill Park Crescent in the Greenbank area, faced a retrial after denying five separate charges.
The jury, after just over two hours of deliberation, returned unanimous verdicts convicting him on all counts.
The charges included three counts of indecently assaulting one girl in Plymouth between 1990 and 1992, a single count of indecent assault on another child, and an attempt to indecently assault a third child in Torbay between 1986 and 1991.
During the trial, all three victims provided compelling testimonies, describing the abuse they endured.
Scott, however, vehemently denied their allegations, accusing them of lying.
The judge, Graham Cottle, sentenced Scott to five years in prison for the sexual assaults committed in Plymouth, with an additional 12 months to be served consecutively for the attack in Torbay.
The sentence was structured so that Scott would serve half of the total time behind bars, but he will remain on the Sex Offender Register for life.
Furthermore, Scott was issued an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which prohibits him from staying with anyone under the age of 16.
Judge Cottle remarked that reports from his previous trial at Truro Crown Court, where Scott was convicted of possessing nearly 400 indecent images of children, had played a significant role in encouraging the victims to come forward.
The judge stated, “It is very likely that but for what happened in July 2011, each one of the complainants would have gone to their graves nursing the secret of being sexually abused by you.
Maybe this trial will give them some closure.” In addition to his sexual offenses, Scott was convicted of possessing almost 400 indecent images of children, which led to a separate jail sentence of 30 weeks.
His criminal record includes a conviction for downloading and possessing these images, which he accumulated between September 2006 and October 2009.
The images were found on his mobile phone, three computers, and a device used at his then-girlfriend’s residence in Saltash, South East Cornwall, where she lived with her three children.
The case was brought to light after Scott’s former partner, Kate Tolman, discovered the images on his phone and reported him to the police.
Following the conviction, Officer DC Simon Rawlinson praised the role of media reports in empowering victims to come forward, stating, “This trial came about because of a good positive report by The Herald.
Those allegations gave these victims the confidence to come forward.
They have been very brave in giving their evidence.
Scott has received a well-reasoned and just sentence.” Ms.
Tolman, who had previously testified at the indecent images trial, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, saying, “It is a brilliant sentence.
I am very pleased and proud of the witnesses.
It takes a lot of guts to give evidence.” In a related case from September 2011, Scott, then aged 42 and described as a former Plymouth resident, was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison after being found guilty of downloading nearly 400 indecent images of children.
The court also ordered him to register as a child sex offender for ten years.
The judge at Truro Crown Court emphasized that Scott’s refusal to accept responsibility and his unwillingness to engage in rehabilitation programs left the court with little choice but to impose imprisonment.
Scott’s former partner, Jillian Kate Tolman, who had reported him after discovering the images, welcomed the sentence and urged others to help combat child pornography.
She stated, “I’m happy he’s been given a custodial sentence.
The more people you convict of this sort of thing, the better place the world’s going to be.
I certainly don’t regret calling the police and I would urge other people to do the same.” Throughout these proceedings, Scott’s criminal activities have cast a dark shadow over the communities of Plymouth and Torbay, highlighting the ongoing need for vigilance and robust law enforcement efforts to protect vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse.
