A perverted pensioner who cynically took advantage of a young girl by sexually touching and filming her during “shocking” incidents inside a church has been jailed for 16 years.
Graham Hart made his move on the girl while she was sitting on a pew inside the church. He was later found with a haul of intimate images of her as well as a collection of banned cartoons and other animations of imaginary children, Hull Crown Court heard.
Hart, 78, of Bridlington, but formerly of Burton Agnes, admitted attempted rape, sexual assault of a child under 13, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, assault by penetration, making indecent images of children and possessing prohibited images of children. He pleaded guilty before a scheduled trial.
Stephen Robinson, prosecuting, said that the girl walked into a church and she was sitting on a pew when Hart intimately touched her and filmed her while telling her what she should do. He handed her a sex toy and told her to lift up her skirt and engage in sexualised activity. The incidents in the church were “shocking” because of where they took place, the court heard.
Hart sexually abused the girl and he threatened to put footage of her on the internet if she told anyone what had happened. The threats, including with a Swiss army knife, left her scared.
Police were alerted and they went to Hart’s home in February 2023. Sex toys were found. He made no comment to all questions during police interview but forensic evidence was found.
Police found a large number of indecent images of a child on computer equipment. There were 197 images and seven videos in the most serious Category A, 52 images and three videos on Category B and 460 images and 10 videos in Category C.
There were also 1,651 prohibited images of children, involving cartoons and animations, not real people, including of Bart and Lisa Simpson.
(Image: Humberside Police)
Speaking of the trauma, the victim said: “This has been an incredibly difficult time for me and my family who have had their suffering extended by Graham’s unwillingness to admit what he had done.
“He delayed his guilty plea until the last minute, forcing me and my family to relive this experience and endure an extended process for no reason.
“The suffering he put me through has had a lasting impact on my education and mental wellbeing, I have lost out on achieving qualifications due to what he did to me.
“Graham’s offending against me has destroyed the innocence of my childhood and the trauma continues to impact me in all aspects. Those are years that I will never get back, it has changed my life irreparably.
“In spite of the trauma he has put me through, I am fighting to prevent his actions from affecting the rest of my life into adulthood.
“If you have experienced something similar, please speak up, there is support available, and your voice matters.”
Dale Brook, mitigating, said: “There’s little that can be said on his behalf. The only things that can be said, most pertinently, are the guilty pleas, some of which were early, some of which were late. They did spare her the ordeal of having to give evidence. Late though it was, they did that.”
Hart had no previous convictions. “He has significant health problems,” said Mr Brook. “Even a few years ago, he had significant heart problems. He now has heart failure and takes a lot of medication to manage that decline.
“His mobility is very, very poor. His time in prison is going to be harder for him than someone who is younger and fitter than he is. Because of this very grave and serious offending, he understands that this will be a very long sentence. It’s likely, almost certain, to mean that he dies in prison.”
Hart had worked and volunteered for a lot of his life helping others. This included helping the homeless and assisting people to claim benefits.
Hart will be on extended licence of one year if he lives long enough to be released from prison. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.
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Detective Sergeant Gemma Pearce, of Humberside Police, the officer in the case, said: “His actions were calculated and predatory, involving repeated abuse where he coerced a young girl into performing sexual acts. He exerted control over her, using his position of authority and manipulation to ensure she remained silent about his crimes.
“Hart’s manipulation extended beyond the physical abuse, by recording his offences and later showing her select footage, he reinforced his control, deepening his influence over her. The lasting effects of his crimes continue to impact her life.”
Describing a “complex investigation”, Detective Sergeant Pearce added: “Forensic evidence, combined with the victim’s courageous account, left Hart with no choice but to admit his crimes. Thanks to the bravery of those who came forward and the commitment of our team, Hart is now facing the consequences of his actions.
“I would like to praise the victim for coming forward and for the bravery and courage they have shown throughout this investigation.
“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will continue to do everything possible to ensure offenders are brought before the courts.
“It is never the victim’s fault, and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual offences to report it to us. When you are ready, we will listen to you, we will believe you, and we will support you.”