September 2014
72-year-old jailed for 10 years over sexual assaults of girls
A PENSIONER has been jailed for ten years for the historic sexual abuse of two women.
Publicity of such cases empowered a woman to say Leslie Maber subjected her to a catalogue of indecent assaults, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The court heard that, in an investigation that ensued, a second woman confirmed Maber similarly abused her.
Leslie Maber, 71 years old of Mancroft Avenue, Lawrence Weston, was jailed at Bristol Crown Court on Friday (September 5) after being convicted following a short trial.
A jury found him guilty of four counts of indecent assault against one of the victims in the 1950s and five counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child against the second victim in the 1970s.
A jury of seven men and five women convicted him of all charges, except the attempted rape.
Judge Martin Picton told Maber: “Publicity prompted (the first complainant) to contact the police and she finally believed that perhaps she, herself, would be believed.
“The victims are to be commended for having the courage to come forward.
“They gave hugely impressive evidence and it can only be hoped the conclusion provides them with some comfort.”
Maber was told to register as a sex offender for life, and was barred from working with vulnerable adults and children for life.
In a DVD-recorded interview the first complainant outlined to police what Maber did to her.
She said that when she was a child Maber stripped off and showed her his naked body, instructing her about a man’s body parts.
She recalled how Maber made her touch him intimately and force her to perform sex acts on him.
The complainant told police: “He kissed me with his tongue in my mouth. That was horrible. He smoked roll-ups and I was sick at that.”
On one occasion it seemed Maber was going to rape her but didn’t, the woman said.
She told police: “It was really horrible to do that. I just thought it was a really cruel way to be. He didn’t rape me. I just got away with it.”
The jury heard that, years later, Maber told the woman if she told anyone about what happened he would “jump off the bridge”.
Sean Brunton, prosecuting, said: “He’s a total coward and he never did that.
“That is why he’s sitting in the dock at Bristol Crown Court.”
After the woman came forward with her allegation police encountered a second woman who said Maber abused her, the court heard.
She said Maber “groped” her and involved her in sex acts, but she felt she would have no support if she reported him and kept quiet until the other woman had the courage to speak out.
Maber said he abused neither woman.
