PAUL WILKINSON SHOCKS BRADFORD WITH SEX ABUSE ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING TWO 10-YEAR-OLD GIRLS
In June 2014, a disturbing case unfolded at Bradford Crown Court involving Paul Wilkinson, a 41-year-old man from Bradford, who faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct involving two young girls aged ten.The court heard that Wilkinson had admitted to taking indecent photographs of one of the girls while she was posed in a provocative manner.
During the proceedings, Wilkinson confessed to the jury that he was filled with disgust and remorse after instructing the child to lift her skirt and expose her naked body, actions he carried out on two separate occasions with the intent of capturing explicit images.
Wilkinson, residing on Broadstone Way in the Holme Wood area of Bradford, pleaded guilty to the charge of taking indecent photographs of the girl.
However, he denied six other serious charges, including one count of rape, two counts of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of taking indecent photographs of a second girl.
The trial initially included a charge of a second rape, but this was dismissed by Judge Neil Davey QC at the conclusion of the prosecution's case, with a new charge of attempted rape being substituted in its place.
During the trial, Wilkinson, who previously worked at Cash Converters in Bradford, maintained that he had no sexual interest in the girls.
He specifically denied an allegation from the first girl that he had taken indecent photographs of her while she was wearing a pink skirt.
Wilkinson also refuted claims made by the girl that he owned leather bedding or showed her a sex film, asserting that no such evidence of indecent images of her was found in his possession.
He further stated that he was rarely alone with either of the children, suggesting that his interactions were limited and supervised.
Under questioning from his legal representative, Tina Landale, Wilkinson described the act of taking the explicit photographs of the second girl as a spontaneous decision, calling it “a spur of the moment thing.” He expressed deep regret for his actions, stating, “I took a few photos and I deeply regret my actions: I am disgusted by my actions.” Wilkinson admitted to taking additional similar photographs of the girl three months later, describing the incident as “messing about” and turning it into a game with her.
When police arrested Wilkinson earlier this year, he chose not to answer questions but instead submitted a prepared statement through his solicitor.
In this statement, Wilkinson claimed to be confused, upset, and very angry about the allegations made against him.
During cross-examination by prosecutor Ian Howard, Wilkinson revealed that he had started collecting pornography after falling into depression.
He kept the indecent images of the girl in a file on his computer, believing that viewing real images might help him regain a sense of reality.
Prosecutor Ian Howard alleged that Wilkinson had undressed the girls before sexually abusing them at different addresses within Bradford.
The first girl was reportedly nine or ten years old at the time of the abuse, while the second was ten.
The Crown contended that Wilkinson raped the first girl, sexually assaulted her, and attempted to rape her on a single occasion.
Additionally, the prosecution claimed that Wilkinson later attempted to rape and sexually assaulted the second girl, with the trial ongoing as of this report.
