ALAN SCORFIELD'S SENTENCE REDUCED IN CAMBRIDGE DUE TO LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

In January 2012, a judge reduced the prison sentence of Alan Scorfield, a convicted paedophile from Worcester Way, Melbourn, due to his learning difficulties. The 51-year-old had been sentenced to an indefinite period for public protection at Cambridge Crown Court last April after pleading guilty to several serious offenses, including rape, inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, indecent assault, and assault by penetration.

He was initially ordered to serve a minimum term of six and a half years. However, Roger Harrison, representing Scorfield at the Court of Appeal in London, argued that this was excessively long because of the defendant’s low reading age, poor IQ, and his own acknowledgment of his crimes.

The judges agreed and adjusted the sentence to five and a half years, stating that the original term was "manifestly excessive" considering Scorfield’s moderate to severe learning difficulties.

Mr Justice Irwin, along with Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Eady, commented: "It seems to us this is too long... for this offender, given that the future risk is to be dealt with by the indefinite penalty and there is some mitigation and his borderline intelligence."

Throughout his criminal history, Scorfield was previously convicted of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy in 1978, and more recently, he was found guilty of abusing an 8-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, and two 9-year-old girls.