THOMAS HOLLOWAY OF OWERMOIGNE JAILED FOR FILMING YOUNG GIRL IN DORCHESTER

In August 2011, a disturbing case unfolded involving Thomas Edwin Brian Holloway, a 73-year-old man from Owermoigne, who was convicted of secretly filming a young girl in his residence. The incident took place at Holloway’s property in Owermoigne between August 4 and October 3 of the previous year, during which the victim, a girl under the age of 16, was subjected to covert filming.

Holloway faced multiple charges in Dorchester Crown Court, including four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child and one count of making an indecent photograph of a child. Prosecutor Jennie Rickman detailed that authorities discovered a total of 60 movies, with 18 of these classified as grade three, indicating a medium level of seriousness. Some of these movies were duplicates, but the evidence clearly showed that Holloway had been actively filming the girl during her visits to his property.

During the court proceedings, a clip from the footage was played, in which the young girl explicitly mentioned her age being under 16. Despite this, Holloway, who was formerly residing in Owermoigne, claimed that he was unaware of her true age, citing hearing difficulties as a reason for his ignorance. In his testimony during the sentencing phase, Holloway admitted that he did not consider how old she might be, asserting that he believed she was post-puberty, noting her smoking and drinking habits, and stating, “She wasn’t exactly a little girl.”

However, prosecutor Miss Rickman countered his claims, emphasizing that Holloway’s concern about her age was irrelevant because he simply did not care whether she was under 16 or not. The court was also informed that Holloway’s actions were characterized by a form of ‘caressing,’ which was part of the footage played in court.

In mitigation, Holloway’s defense attorney, Anne Brown, described her client as a lonely man, suggesting that his actions might have been influenced by his social isolation. She also noted that the victim appeared to be relaxed around Holloway, which was used to argue that the situation was not as predatory as it might seem.

Holloway pleaded guilty to the charges on February 7, 2011, but he denied three additional charges involving sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and common assault. The Crown Prosecution Service accepted his guilty pleas on the film-related charges but maintained that the other allegations were not proven, leading Judge Roger Jarvis to record not guilty verdicts on those counts.

In delivering his sentence, Judge Jarvis emphasized the vulnerability of the victim and Holloway’s awareness of her age. He stated, “You are now a man in your 70s and your victim was under 16 years of age. The victim wasn’t informed that she was being videoed. You took advantage of a girl who was vulnerable at the time. It’s plain to me you knew she was under 16.”

As a result, Holloway was sentenced to 18 months in immediate custody. Additionally, he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, marking a significant legal response to his actions in Owermoigne and Dorchester.