ARNOLD BRACS FROM CLIFTONVILLE SENTENCED FOR LIFE AFTER HORRIFIC ABUSE ON YOUNG BOY

In a case that has shocked the community of Cliftonville, Kent, Arnold Bracs, aged 57, was sentenced to life imprisonment for a brutal and sustained campaign of sexual abuse against a young boy, which ultimately led the victim to attempt to take his own life. The disturbing details of the case were revealed during the proceedings at Canterbury Crown Court, highlighting the severity and depravity of Bracs' actions.

According to court reports, Bracs engaged in a series of heinous acts over a period of several months, targeting a boy who was only six years old at the time. The abuse was so severe that the young victim was compelled to practice tying a noose from a tree and placing his head inside it, under Bracs' direction. The court heard that Bracs kept children’s underpants under his pillow, indicating a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior.

Tragically, shortly after the boy was rescued from Bracs and two other men involved in the abuse, one of the perpetrators committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree. The second attacker later died in a road accident. The victim, now a teenager, was deeply affected by these events and the trauma inflicted upon him. During the trial, he described how the abuse had left him with a desire to end his life, stating, “I no longer wish to die, but what he did to me was wrong. I think it was disgusting and I will never forgive him for this. He has destroyed my childhood.”

The boy expressed his fears that Bracs might harm others if given the chance, saying, “What I am most worried about is he could do the same to anybody else again and I really hate him for what he has done to me.” His mother also provided a harrowing account, revealing that her son has an “extremely vivid memory” of the abuse. She shared that her family was so distressed that they initially kept knives out of the house and avoided using china plates, in an effort to protect her son from further trauma. She added, “I want my son to finally have a childhood that he has never had.”

Judge James O’Mahoney sentenced Bracs to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years, condemning his conduct as “wicked.” The judge described the victim as “very brave” for enduring the ordeal and emphasized the lasting impact of the abuse. Bracs initially denied the allegations, claiming he suffered from “erectile dysfunction,” but later admitted to six counts of rape dating back many years during a hearing on July 27 of the previous year.

Prosecutor David Allan detailed the extent of the abuse, stating that Bracs threatened to kill the boy if he reported the crimes. The court was told that the abuse was part of a “campaign of rapes” that persisted for six months. Initially, Bracs was the sole perpetrator, but the situation escalated as two other men became involved, performing sex acts in front of and on the young victim. The court also heard that Bracs and another man had set up a tree with three nooses, practicing how to hang the boy, which added a chilling dimension to the case.

In a Victim Impact Statement, the boy recounted waking up in the middle of the night screaming and covered in sweat, haunted by the memories of his trauma. His mother expressed her hope for her son to finally experience a normal childhood, free from the shadow of his past. Bracs, who has a criminal record including 12 convictions and a previous 30-month sentence for sex offenses in February 1988, now faces the consequences of his actions in a case that has left a lasting scar on the community of Cliftonville.