August 2017 Bedford Man Jailed For Child Sex Abuse A man from Bedford has been jailed for the sexual abuse of young boy. Stephen Bates had denied sexually assaulting the youngster in the 1990s. At Luton Crown Court today, the 49 year-old, from Mount Pleasant Road in Clapham was found guilty by a jury of one count of indecent assault following a trial, and was sentenced to 3 years in jail. He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from any contact with a child under the age of 16. His victim was aged just 13 when the assault took place, between Dec 1995 and Nov 1996