ANDREW HINDE FROM CHESTERTON SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF EIGHT-YEAR-OLD BOY IN CAMBRIDGE

In a case that has shocked the local community of Chesterton and the wider Cambridge area, Andrew Christopher Hinde, aged 56, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a series of disturbing sexual assaults committed against an eight-year-old boy. The incidents, which took place during the summer of eight years ago, involved multiple attempts by Hinde to sexually exploit the young victim on four separate occasions.

Cambridge Crown Court heard that Hinde, a man with a prior conviction for a sexual offence in 1989, engaged in inappropriate and criminal behavior towards the boy. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Hinde had tried to touch the child in an intimate manner, but the young victim bravely resisted his advances, preventing any physical contact from occurring at that time.

On another occasion, Hinde attempted to lure the boy into his spare room. Court reports detailed that Hinde’s trousers were down when he made the attempt, and he asked the boy to touch him, an act that was thwarted by the child's resistance. The most egregious of the assaults occurred during the last incident, where Hinde stood behind the boy, who was unclothed, and touched the child's bare flesh with his private parts, an act that caused significant emotional trauma.

During mitigation, Mark Shelley, representing Hinde, explained that his client had a troubled past, including being abused himself as a child. Shelley stated, “The abuse he suffered causes him to wish to have sexual contact with a boy at that age he was when it happened to him,” suggesting a cycle of abuse that may have influenced his actions.

Judge Jonathon Haworth emphasized the seriousness of the offences, highlighting that they were committed at a time when the victim was particularly vulnerable. The judge acknowledged the victim’s resistance, noting, “It is to his credit that he resisted attempts and they came to nothing in practical terms.” However, the judge also pointed out the lasting emotional damage inflicted, stating, “In emotional terms you caused considerable damage and he has lived with what you did for these last eight years.”

Hinde, who is scheduled to serve half of his 18-month sentence, will also be required to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. The case drew reactions from law enforcement, with Kathy Gordon, a trainee detective constable for Cambridgeshire police, expressing her satisfaction with the custodial sentence. She remarked, “My thoughts are with the victim and his family and with Hinde’s family too. They now have to believe the unbelievable about someone they love,” underscoring the profound impact of such crimes on families and communities.