BARRY SPENCER, THE KEIGHLEY AND LEICESTER CHILD SEX OFFENDER, SENTENCED IN OXENHOPE

In a harrowing case that has shocked the communities of Keighley, Leicester, and Oxenhope, Barry Spencer, a man with a dark history of sexual abuse, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a series of heinous crimes committed over a span of nearly four decades. The lengthy and disturbing criminal career of Spencer, now 61, came to light following a detailed police investigation that uncovered the extent of his predatory behavior.

Spencer, who previously resided in Keighley before relocating to Mill Court in Oxenhope in 2000, was known to many in the local area. However, his true nature was revealed when authorities linked him to a disturbing pattern of sexual offenses involving 16 children, including both boys and girls. The majority of his victims were encountered during his employment at Granby Halls in Leicester, where he served as a roller disco DJ and floor manager from the late 1960s until the venue's closure in 1998. This establishment was a central location where Spencer exploited his position to target vulnerable children.

The crimes spanned from 1965 to 2003, with the victims primarily from Leicester and its surrounding areas. The investigation was initiated in December 2004 after a woman came forward to report that she had been subjected to abuse by Spencer. Her testimony prompted further inquiries, which eventually uncovered additional victims and led to Spencer being charged with a total of 75 separate offenses. These included 68 counts of indecent assault and three counts of rape.

During the court proceedings, Spencer pleaded guilty to 67 of the indecency charges. In a significant development, at Leicester Crown Court, he also admitted to other serious charges, including rape and buggery. The court heard that Spencer's criminal activities involved both physical abuse and manipulation, with the police revealing that he had targeted girls from less affluent backgrounds, often befriending them under the guise of offering free entry to the roller disco or trips in his lorry. Prosecutor David Herbert explained that Spencer would buy the victims' silence by threatening to ban them from the disco if they disclosed the abuse, thereby maintaining control over his victims.

Further details revealed that Spencer was able to gain the trust of both the children and their parents, which allowed him to invite some victims to stay overnight at his house or accompany him on trips in his lorry. The court was told that two of his victims, girls aged just 10 and 13 when the abuse began, suffered at his hands. The abuse was described as both persistent and deeply damaging, with the court hearing that Spencer's actions culminated in the rape of two of his victims.

Julian Goose QC, representing Spencer in mitigation, acknowledged that the offender's pattern of abuse was rooted in his own childhood trauma, having been subjected to abuse by a neighbor as a child. He expressed Spencer's remorse, stating that his client wished to apologize to each of his victims for the pain he caused. Despite his guilty pleas, Spencer was prohibited from working with children for life, ordered to register as a sex offender, and subjected to a four-year extended license period upon his release from prison.

Several victims attended the sentencing hearing, with one woman, now in her 40s, describing her feelings afterward: "I was shy and naive. In the dock I saw this sick pervert. I needed to see him through adult eyes. What he did was sickening." Her words reflected the profound impact of Spencer's crimes.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Andy Allden commented on the bravery of the victims who came forward. He emphasized that their courage was instrumental in bringing Spencer to justice and expressed hope that the sentence would provide some measure of closure. However, he also acknowledged that the full extent of Spencer's depravity might never be fully known, leaving a dark shadow over the communities affected by his actions.