ANDREW ROSTRON SHARPLES SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE AT BOLTON CROWN COURT

In a case that spanned over three decades, Andrew Rostron, a man from Southgrove Avenue in Sharples, was finally brought to justice for the sexual abuse of two young sisters he was entrusted to care for as a babysitter. The lengthy legal process culminated in his sentencing at Bolton Crown Court, where he received a four-year prison term for his crimes.

Rostron, now aged 50, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse. However, he maintained his innocence on other charges, including two counts of rape, two counts of indecent assault, and five counts of indecency with a child. Despite his denials, a jury found him guilty of all the charges, which related to incidents that occurred between July 1975 and December 1977.

The prosecution, led by Paul O’Brien, revealed that the two sisters had confided in their parents about the abuse at the time it happened. Nevertheless, the family chose to keep the matter private, opting not to pursue legal action immediately. It was only years later, when the younger sister disclosed her experiences to a psychologist, that Rostron’s past was brought back into the spotlight and he was finally held accountable for his actions.

The court heard that Rostron had been employed as a machine operator for 21 years and had maintained a marriage for the same period. Following media coverage of the case, Rostron’s employer informed him that he could no longer return to work. The reason cited was that some colleagues had taken exception to his past, which had become public knowledge.

During the hearing, defense lawyer Farrhat Arshad argued that Rostron was immature at the time of the offenses. He emphasized that the passage of time had only worsened his client’s situation, suggesting that if he had been dealt with appropriately during the initial period, the consequences might have been different. Arshad pointed out that Rostron had since become a different person, implying that he had shown remorse and changed.

Judge Timothy Clayson, presiding over the case, acknowledged Rostron’s current character, describing him as a hardworking man of good standing in his adult life. However, the judge also noted that if Rostron had been prosecuted at the time of the offenses, he might have received a relatively lenient sentence. The judge emphasized that the defendant was not fully mature when the crimes occurred.

In sentencing, Rostron received four years for each of the rape charges, 18 months for each indecent assault, 18 months for each indecency charge, and 12 months for the sexual abuse counts. All sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve only part of the total time, with the court stipulating that he would spend half of the four-year sentence in custody.

Furthermore, Judge Clayson ordered Rostron to sign the sex offenders’ register for life. Despite this, the judge expressed the view that the risk of future offending was very low, providing some measure of reassurance to the public and the victims’ family.