A former employee of the world’s largest tobacco company, who groomed a young boy he abused in the 1970’s with free cigarettes, has been locked-up for seven years.
Pensioner Graham Saunders, 78, of Town Lane, Charlesworth, Glossop, Derbyshire began preying on the youngster when the boy was approximately eleven or twelve years-old.
He was unanimously convicted by a Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court jury of three counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child.
The court heard Saunders worked for British American Tobacco and went on to work at Manchester Polytechnic and took up other teaching roles.
Some of the abuse occurred during trips to the Lake District and in south-west London and the victim continues to be haunted by the abuse to this day.
Judge Timothy Lamb QC told him: “I have to recognise the psychological effect is still there. This was predatory behaviour upon a boy aged as young as eleven years-old.”
Sentencing had been delayed to allow Saunders to undergo heart by-pass surgery and his lawyer Mr. Mark Watson said: “His health is poor, but improving.”
The boy was abused between the ages of eleven and fourteen, when he was touched intimately by Saunders and forced to perform sex acts on the defendant.
“Since that time there has been no further offending,” added Mr. Watson. “He has done a world of good for many, many people.
“He is under no illusions as to the sentence that will be passed and that has weighed very heavily upon him.
“This is an elderly man with age and regret.”
No comments:
Post a Comment