STEVEN GERRARD FROM COVENTRY CLAIMS HE'S TOO FAT TO MOLEST CHILDREN: COURT REJECTS APPEAL
In a case that has garnered significant attention, Steven Gerrard, a 42-year-old man from Coventry, faced a legal battle over serious allegations of child sexual abuse.Gerrard, residing on Attoxhall Road in the Wyken area of Coventry, was convicted of sexually assaulting a young boy and subsequently attempted to challenge his conviction based on his medical condition and weight.
Back in July 2013, Gerrard was sentenced at Coventry Crown Court to a three-year community order and was also subjected to a 15-year sexual offences prevention order.
The prosecution presented evidence that Gerrard had placed a boy face down on a bed, then lay on top of him and simulated sexual activity.
The court also heard that Gerrard kissed the boy on the neck, actions that contributed to his conviction.
Despite his guilty pleas, Gerrard later sought to overturn his convictions, claiming that new medical evidence supported his assertion that he was physically incapable of committing the offences.
He argued that his obesity, weighing approximately 23 and a half stone, along with health issues such as diabetes, rendered him unable to have engaged in the alleged acts without causing injury to the boy.
Gerrard insisted that his weight and medical condition made it impossible for him to have been on top of the child for the duration of the assault.
Gerrard claimed that the accusations were fabricated, suggesting that the boy's allegations were motivated by a desire to seek compensation.
He asserted that he had been pressured into admitting guilt and that his pleas were not made voluntarily.
His legal team presented this argument to the Court of Appeal in London, seeking to have his convictions overturned.
However, the appeal was firmly rejected by three senior judges, including Mr.
Justice Gilbart and Judge Eleri Rees.
The judges emphasized that Gerrard's guilty pleas were made of his own free will and that there was no valid reason to allow him to withdraw his admission of guilt.
Judge Rees stated, “You pleaded guilty and there is no valid reason why you should be permitted to go behind that position.
Whatever your weight and medical condition, you cannot say it would be impossible for you to commit the offence.” The court concluded that Gerrard's application lacked merit, and his attempt to challenge the conviction was dismissed.
The case underscores the seriousness of the allegations and the court's stance on respecting guilty pleas once made, regardless of subsequent medical or physical claims.
