ALISTAIR PRATT'S RETURN TO MARCH NEIGHBORHOOD SPARKS OUTRAGE AND FEAR

In September 2007, a disturbing case emerged involving Alistair Pratt, a convicted sex offender whose presence in the town of March, Cambridgeshire, has caused significant alarm among local residents. Pratt, aged 34, was previously sentenced to three years in prison for offenses related to child abuse images. However, he was released after serving only 15 months and was permitted to return to his former residence in March just three weeks prior to the latest developments.

His return to the neighborhood has raised serious concerns, especially considering the proximity of his home to a local child care center. The situation escalated when authorities uncovered the extent of Pratt’s disturbing activities. During a police raid on his residence, officers discovered approximately 1,200 indecent images of children, many of which depicted young victims aged between five and eight years old being subjected to abuse. The images also included content involving sadism and animals, highlighting the severity of the offenses.

The case took a further sinister turn when a 15-year-old girl in the United States received live webcam footage showing a man engaged in sexual acts with a baby. This revelation prompted the police to act swiftly, leading to Pratt’s arrest and subsequent investigation.

Local residents, particularly neighbors like James Fulcher, 37, have expressed their outrage and fear. Fulcher, who lives in the same cul-de-sac as Pratt, voiced his distress about the situation. He stated, “It makes me feel sick that he is allowed to be there. I can’t see how society can allow him to move next to a daycare center. My kids play out in the back garden in the paddling pool, and I don’t want him looking out and taking pictures.”

The quiet residential area, which is predominantly filled with families and young children, is now filled with anxiety over the possibility of Pratt reoffending. Fulcher also criticized the police response, claiming, “The police are being very unhelpful because they denied he was moving back, and now I find that to be untrue. Even though we have alerted them he is there, they have done nothing.”

Following Pratt’s sentencing, Detective Sergeant Chris Tatum-Horsfield from the Cambridge child and domestic abuse investigation unit described the images as “horrible, really horrible,” emphasizing that they were classified as level four and level five, the most severe categories. He explained that the images involved very young children and infants being sexually abused by adults, along with depictions of sadism and animal abuse.

In response to the community’s concerns, a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police stated, “Unless a specific restriction is imposed as part of a sex offender’s order, registered sex offenders are not restricted in terms of visitation. Any concerns expressed to officers are obviously taken seriously, and appropriate action is taken where necessary. Cambridgeshire Constabulary employs specially trained officers to manage sex offenders living in the community.”

However, Shy Keenan, representing the child abuse support group Phoenix Survivors, criticized this approach. She argued, “Pratt is a serious risk to everyone in the community and not someone who should be living next to a childcare center. It is a criminal train wreck waiting to happen letting him live that close to his potential victims. Cambridgeshire police should act immediately to move him to a more appropriate location – it is just common sense.”