Latest Offenders Melksham

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A repeat sex offender has been jailed for indecently exposing himself in a store in Devizes.

On 31 May, Philip Harding, 72, of the Lye, Seend, was seen inside a charity shop in the Brittox exposing and then pleasuring himself in the presence of the victim and his young daughter.

Following enquiries, Harding was identified and arrested with the offence.

He was subsequently charged with indecent exposure, to which he pleaded guilty.

At a hearing on Friday (18/07), he was jailed for 12 months.

A sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) was also imposed for 10 years, which will place restrictions upon Harding.

Local Crime Investigator Shonna O’Harney, based in the Volume Crime Team, said:

“Harding is a prolific offender and we are aware of the community concern around him.

“Indecent exposure is a serious offence with potentially significant impacts upon victims.

“We have also seen that it can also lead to more serious contact sexual offences and violence.

“I’m pleased that the courts have recognised the severity of Harding’s offending and imposed a custodial sentence, plus a SHPO to protect the public.

“I’d also like to thank the victim for coming forward and reporting the incident to us. Support from the community is absolutely vital to allow us to investigate these types of offences.”

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David Griffin, 51, was found guilty of making indecent images of a children, three counts of voyeurism, and sexual assault.

He denied the offences – but was unanimously convicted by a jury at Swindon Crown Court. Today (Tuesday), he was sentenced by Judge Jason Taylor.

The defendant, of Grasmere, Melksham, filmed three children using almost undetectable covert cameras and sexually abused another.

One of Griffin’s victims said he was left suicidal by Griffin’s abuse.

“This is not me, and I never used to be like this… what David has done to me has impacted every part of my life”, he said in a statement read out in court.

Both of Griffin’s other victims also provided impact statements – each describing the adverse effect his abuse has had on them.

Andrew Stone, defending, said “prison will go so much harder for him than it would for a young man”.

He added that Griffin “expressed to me deep remorse for the harm he’s caused these boys”.

But Judge Taylor interjected: “I cant say remorse jumped off the page at any stage [during trial]”.

Mr Stone replied: “What he regrets doing is causing these men pain and suffering, he is aware of the lasting affect this will have on them”.

Judge Taylor said that the defendant’s abuse was “planned, systematic and targeted”, adding that the defence he provided at trial “would have been laughable if it wasn’t so serious”.

Taking into account that his crimes involved a “significant degree of planning” and that he “clearly attempted to delete the evidence with cleaning software”, Judge Taylor sentenced him to five years and six months imprisonment.

He added: “Prison will not be an easy time for you… I cannot accept you were remorseful.”

Griffin will be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life. He was also slapped with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Under the order, he’s prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with males under the age of 18 and acquiring or use video monitoring equiptment in any premises.

Investigating officer DS Jen Jeffcoat-Marsh said: “I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victims in taking the hugely difficult step of reporting these crimes to us and supporting our investigation into Griffin.

“We recognise how challenging it must have been for the survivors to help bring their abuser to justice.

“Whilst nothing can take away the emotional impact of the abuse that they suffered, I hope that seeing Griffin jailed today brings them some comfort.”