FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUALLY ABUSING TWO YOUNG BOYS
A man belonging to the travelling community received a severe warning to 'Not come back' after being sentenced for the sexual abuse of two young boys.Bernard Joyce was found guilty of 15 charges, including buggery, following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
This week, he was sentenced to prison, with the judge describing how he deliberately targeted the boys for his own sexual pleasure.
The court learned that the abuse spanned approximately eight or nine years, beginning when the first boy was nine years old and the second was six.
The incidents took place in different residences around Leeds.
Joyce would enter the boys' beds at night when they were asleep, subjecting them to sexual touching, performing masturbation in front of them, kissing their necks, and placing his penis between their legs.
The abuse intensified over time, with one of the victims suffering buggery, which caused him to cry in pain, the court was told.
The first victim did not disclose the abuse until adulthood, after struggling with drug abuse and confiding in his partner.
The second victim only came forward after the first reported the crimes to the police, as the judge mentioned he might never have spoken out.
In May 2022, Joyce, residing at Cottingley Springs Caravan Site, Gildersome on Gelderd Road, was arrested and initially denied the allegations.
His trial occurred in May of this year, resulting in convictions on 13 counts of indecent assault, one count of indecency with a child, and one count of buggery.
He appeared in court for sentencing via video link from HMP Leeds.
During proceedings, defense solicitor Rebecca Young emphasized that Joyce will not be able to return to the traveller community after his release.
Judge Tahir Khan KC sentenced him to six years in prison, ordered him to register as a sex offender for life, and imposed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
