Roland Wiles 50

Description

A paedophile who was involved in a village pub fight in which another man died went on to be jailed for 24 years for horrific child sex offences.

Roland Wiles twice stood trial for manslaughter over the death of Dale Jackson, 58, following a violent confrontation outside of the Suffield Arms in Thorpe Market in north Norfolk in September 2021.

It is understood that the row had its roots in accusations and rumours which were circulating about Wiles’ offending.

The 50-year-old was this week cleared by a jury at Norwich Crown Court after just one hour and 43 minutes of deliberations. 

Restrictions had been imposed to prevent the reporting of the link between his sexual offences and the manslaughter trial to avoid the jury learning the details of his sordid past 

Following his acquittal, the restrictions have been lifted and we can now exclusively reveal the unravelling of the row.

Wiles, of Mill Street, Norwich, was branded a “monster” when he was sentenced last November to a total of 25 years - made up of 24 in jail and 12 months on licence.    

His “outwardly respectable life” was a façade that hid a “deeply disturbing and darker side”, the court had heard.

He was found guilty of the repeated rape, sexual assault and molestation of three young girls and a boy with the offences dating back almost 30 years to 1996 and continuing until 2022.

Summing up the evidence in the manslaughter trial, Judge Alice Robinson said he had told police that during the confrontation Mr Jackson had approached his vehicle gesturing aggressively, swearing and telling him “you’re disgusting”.  

Wiles admitted getting out and saying “what’s your problem?” but denied he had been angry or had intended to act aggressively.

The prosecution had claimed he had not been acting in self defence when he punched Mr Jackson and rendered him "unconscious on his feet".

The blow caused him to fall backward and he hit his head on the ground resulting in serious injuries.

Wiles told police he had thought “oh s***” after he saw blood coming from Mr Jackson’s ears as he lay unconscious on the ground and had got back in his car in shock. 

Witnesses had described Mr Jackson being punched and his head hitting the ground with a sound like a “coconut hitting concrete”.

The father-of-two from Cromer was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital but died six days after sustaining his fatal injuries. 

Following him being cleared of manslaughter, Judge Robinson told him would face no further action over the death but that he was being returned to prison to continue his “very lengthy sentence”.

'MONSTER' WHO LIVED SEEMINGLY RESPECTABLE LIFE

Wiles' sexual offending spanned a quarter of a century from the summer of 1996 to his arrest in April 2023.

The attack outside of the Suffield Arms happened more than a year-and-a-half prior to his arrest.

His trial heard his first victim was aged either four or five when she was raped by Wiles who then lived in a bungalow on a farm in the Norfolk area.

The girl had been in a “panic” and “didn’t know what to do” after the rape, which signalled the start of a catalogue of abuse against her and three other victims.

Sentencing him, Judge Anthony Bate said he was a “serial sex offender”.

In total he was convicted of 26 sexual offences including six counts of rape, three of indecent assault of a girl aged under 13 as well as inciting sexual activity in children.

One of his victims told his sentencing hearing he was a “monster” who had “caused so much destruction and heartbreak”.

The male victim said he had “grown up knowing nothing other than sexual abuse” and that the mental trauma had caused him to try to kill himself several times.