October 2014
Market trader repeatedly sexually abused boy over 6 yr period starting when child was 11 years-old
Colin Stratton molested the child, from Swindon, over a six-and-a-half year period, starting when the boy was just 11 years old.
And a court has been told the 56-year-old already has a conviction for abusing another young lad at around the same time in the mid 90s.
Now a judge has said he may rule the defendant poses a significant risk of serious offending in the future and impose an extended licence on the jail term.
Stratton pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child when he appeared at Swindon Crown Court.
He admitted carrying out sex acts on the lad in his bedroom, his van and the bathroom on numerous occasions between September 1989 and March 1996.
Stratton, of High Street, Shrivenham, pleaded not guilty to three further counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.
Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said they would not seek a trial on those matters saying ‘I am satisfied the court has sufficient sentencing power’.
He said the defendant’s only previous convictions were for similar matters which post dated the current offences.
Mr Meeke said they involved another young boy and the series of offences took place in 1997 adding ‘They are very similar in fact to some of the allegations made here’.
Mike Jeary, defending, asked for his client to be released on bail before sentencing so he could ‘get his affairs in order’.
He said “He has an invalid father. He knows exactly where he stands. He is in great turmoil at the moment because his father is in ill health.
“They live in social accommodation. He know he has got to do something, because he knows the inevitable will happen, that his father has somewhere to live and people to look after him in the knowledge that the sentence he is going to get is a custodial one.
“He is desperate not to leave his father and go into custody, it would leave him in great difficulty both financially and generally.”
Judge Tim Mousley QC allowed bail on condition he does not contact witnesses in the case or go to certain areas of Swindon.
The judge put the case off to Thursday October 16 and said “There will obviously be a custodial sentence of some length.
“I am going to grant you bail between now and then only because of the difficulties as far as your father is concerned.
“There are two conditions: first is that you reside at the address where you were living. That means live and sleep every night.
“In addition there is a condition that you co-operate with the probation service in preparation of the report. There are already other conditions that will remain.
“As I have indicated, there will be a prison sentence. It will be of length, and I will be considering the issue of dangerousness in your case which may give rise to an extended sentence.”
