ANTONY MELLOR IN WHITLEY BAY SENTENCE SPARKS MUM'S OUTRAGE

In December 2004, a mother of a 10-year-old boy, who was targeted by Antony Mellor, expressed her disgust after the academic was spared imprisonment. Dr. Tony Mellor, 44, of Townsville Avenue, Whitley Bay, exposed himself and showed children pornographic magazines near his North Tyneside home last August. Despite pleading guilty to two charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, he was not sentenced to jail. Instead, Newcastle Crown Court imposed a two-year Community Rehabilitation Order and ordered him to register as a sex offender.

The mother, who has asked to remain anonymous, stated: "I was in court for the whole thing and I can't believe it. After the trial, my son was at home knowing this man was also at home, just like us. My boy has to walk past the park where it all happened and wonder if he will see him."

The court heard that Mellor, a senior soil sciences lecturer at Northumbria University, performed a sex act in front of the boys on two occasions. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and was subject to a strict five-year sexual offences prevention order. This order prohibits him from coming within 50 yards of children under 16 without a valid reason and from entering recreational or educational premises they may use.

The distraught mother explained: "My son was out with friends at the time. The man approached them several times and befriended them, claiming his name was Tony. He would talk to them, ask if they wanted to see pictures, and then exposed himself, claiming it was for educational purposes. My son has seen things and learned words he wasn't ready for. I have a good relationship with him, and it was my decision when to teach him about sex, not anyone else."

She added: "We will get over it in time, but I believe this kind of sentence sends the wrong message. The police have been excellent throughout, but what happened in court was a joke. We were sitting just yards from him the whole time, and I don't know how I managed to stay composed."

Earlier in October 2004, Mellor, a married man and university lecturer, admitted to exposing himself in front of young children on Tyneside on two occasions. He pleaded guilty to two charges of obtaining sexual gratification in the presence of a child under 13 at North Tyneside Magistrates Court. It was reported that he was viewing pornographic material during the incidents.

He has been suspended from his position as a lecturer in soil sciences at Northumbria University pending sentencing. The Crown Prosecution Service described the charges as serious and premeditated, indicating that the offences were not suitable to be dealt with at the magistrates' level. The court ordered Mellor to undertake an interim sex offender registration and released him on conditional bail to appear at Newcastle Crown Court when scheduled.

Defence representative Noel Dilks described Mellor as a man of impeccable character, saying, "He is spoken of in kind and generous terms by colleagues and has no prior record of offences. He was under significant personal and professional pressure at the time. We are awaiting a psychiatric report which may provide some mitigation."

It is believed that Mellor exposed himself while looking at a pornographic magazine between August 1 and 6, in the vicinity of Monkseaton Metro station near his home, shared with his wife Tracey. A spokesperson from Northumbria University stated that following his magistrate court appearance, the university had suspended him and would review his employment once the Crown Court proceedings conclude, emphasizing careful consideration of all factors. Dr. Mellor is the head of Geography and Principal Lecturer in Physical Geography and Environmental Management at Northumbria University.