SYDNEY BARNES OF STRETFORD JAILED FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES AGAINST TEENAGER

In March 2008, Sydney Barnes, 59, of Greenwalk, Stretford, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a series of sexual assaults committed against a 14-year-old girl. The offenses took place during the 1980s, but Barnes was only brought to court two decades later. During the proceedings at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Barnes attempted to blame the victim for his actions.

Although he was acquitted of rape by a jury, he pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault, asserting that all sexual acts were consensual. Judge Andrew Lowcock criticized Barnes for trying to evade responsibility, stating, "You have in my view consistently tried to shift the blame for your behaviour onto the victim. There was an imbalance of power in your relationship with the girl and you abused that trust to satisfy your own sexual desires. The law exists to protect young people in these situations from their own immaturity."

In addition to his prison term, Barnes will be on the sex offenders register for ten years. Defence counsel Andrew Nuttall described the case as unusual and emphasized that Barnes might have admitted to his crimes had they been reported earlier. "The defendant has always accepted his criminality before any complaint was made and before the police were involved. He has not sought to deny involvement," said Mr. Nuttall. "These offences are quite extraordinary and out of character for him. In all other respects, he is a hard-working, decent member of society."