April 2008 Man spared jail after sex act with schoolboy in Rotherhithe toilet A man who admitted sexual activity with a fifteen-year-old schoolboy inside a Rotherhithe public toilet has been spared jail.

A judge at the Inner London Crown Court handed Peter Cornwell, 64, from Greenland Mews in Deptford, a twelve month suspended sentence, after he pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual activity with a child. It is thought the offence took place last year.

The suspended sentence means that Cornwell is free to walk to the streets and will completely avoid serving any of his sentence if he does not commit any offences within the next twelve months.

Whilst police have withheld much of the detail of the case, the ‘News’ understands that Cornwell and the child were inside a well used public toilet on the peninsular whilst the boy was masturbating. There is nothing to suggest that there was any ‘full sex’ during the incident or that the sexual activity was not consented to by both parties.  

The court heard that Cornwell was busted after a passerby saw two males in the toilet and flagged down a Police Community Support Officer, who happened to be passing at the time.