October 2017 Paedophile Richard Budd from Weston-super-Mare apologises for sick crimes in court A paedophile pensioner who preyed on an 11-year-old girl apologised in court today when he was sentenced for his crimes. Richard Budd, 75, of Longton Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, appeared in the dock at Taunton Crown Court today (October 9) after admitting two counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13 years by digital penetration, and five counts of indecent assault He stood trembling in the dock as he read his apology aloud – but did not look at his victim who was sat in the court to see him sent to jail. He said: “There are no words to express how truly and profoundly sorry I am for my actions and the utter devastation my actions have caused. “There is no apology humble enough to heal the damage I have done to the people I love. I knew I was doing wrong, but I did not understand the shame, the fear and damage I was causing. “I can do nothing to make things better.” Prosecuting, William Hunter said the abuse had first come to light in 2009 when his victim wrote a letter to her mother explaining what he had been doing to her. “She put the letter in an envelope, put it on the table and ran out of the room,” he said. “In it, the girl disclosed that between the ages of 11 and 13, she had been abused by him.” Budd was confronted by the girl’s mother and admitted what he had done, with him and his wife then moving out of the area. “At the time, the girl didn’t feel strong enough to report it to the police,” he said, before he went on to detail some of the abuse she had suffered at Budd’s hands. It was some years before it was reported to the police, and when arrested, he gave a no comment interview. After Budd had addressed the court, Patrick Mason, defending, said he had grown up in a harsh family environment and had a number of ‘unusual and confusing’ experiences while at boarding school. “He has been married for over 50 years and has never been convicted of anything before,” he said. “In nearly every other aspect of his life, he has been a nice, mild-mannered man – although he accepts that he has committed these terrible crimes.” Mr Mason added that when he was originally confronted by the girl about his abuse, he had referred himself to a psychiatrist and psychologist to try and tackle his behaviour. Sentencing Budd to a combined sentence of six years in jail, with a 12 months extended license, Judge David Ticehurst said: “You are 75-years-old and had lived a long and decent life – but it was a life blighted by your sexual abuse. “You have destroyed the last years of your marriage, you have caused untold harm to your victim. “I hope you think it was worth it – all that destruction and harm to gratify your perverted sexual interest in a child.” As well as the prison sentence, Budd will be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and was made to sign the sex offender’s register for life. He was also ordered to pay a £170 surcharge. September 2017 Weston pensioner told to expect jail after admitting sex abuse charges A pensioner has been told to prepare himself for a lengthy jail-term after he admitted a sickening string of sexual assaults on a young girl. Richard Budd, 74, of Longton Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, appeared in the dock at TauntonCrown Court today to admit two counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13 years by digital penetration. He was also alleged to have committed five further counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 13. The historic offences all took place near Crewkerne in south Somerset between 2000 and 2003. The charges all relate to a single victim. Judge David Evans adjourned the case so a pre-sentence report could be created, but told Budd he needed to prepare himself for jail. “The overwhelming likelihood is that you will receive an immediate prison sentence,” he said. “You need to put your affairs in order and prepare yourself for that.” In the meantime, Budd was ordered to sign the sex offender’s register and was released on bail.