BRIAN DEACON, FORMER SITHNEY COUNCILLOR, SENTENCED IN TRURO FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES

In July 2015, Brian Deacon, a former Sithney parish councillor and founder of Sithney Wrestling Club, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault charges involving two young girls. The court heard that Deacon, aged 71 at the time, inappropriately touched the girls, who were under 13 years old, during incidents that he described as "utterly revolting." The victims, whose identities are protected for legal reasons, reported the assaults to the police, with one girl revealing she was sexually assaulted by Deacon and eventually making a rape allegation months later due to nightmares and conversations with a family member.

During the trial at Truro Crown Court, Deacon admitted to six counts of sexual assault. A jury, however, could not reach a verdict on a charge of rape concerning one of the girls, which he denied. Deacon, of Par Lane, Par, requested to be remanded in custody while authorities decided on a possible retrial and sentencing.

The prosecution stated that the Crown would not pursue a retrial, and Deacon's former testimony described his work on farms, as a groundskeeper for the council, and his involvement with St John Ambulance and Cornish wrestling. When questioned about the alleged assaults, Deacon expressed remorse and shame, acknowledging that he was sexually attracted to young girls.

At an earlier hearing, Deacon pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault involving one girl and two counts related to another girl. His defense attorney, Bob Linford, noted that Deacon had been battling anxiety and depression following the allegations, which led to two suicide attempts, the second nearly fatal. Mr. Linford added, "He had a degree of insight into the harm that he had caused these two little girls and for that he is very sorry," and mentioned that Deacon's wife had distanced herself from him due to his "disgusting behaviour."

Judge Christopher Harvey Clark, QC, sentenced Deacon to five years in prison and ordered that he register as a sex offender for life. The judge remarked, "It hardly needs me to say that your behaviour in sexually molesting [the girls] is utterly revolting to people with normal standards of behaviour. To be blunt, you are a paedophile."

Earlier in March 2015, Deacon appeared in court in Helston, admitting to six charges of sexually touching girls aged under 13, with offenses spanning from 2011 to 2013 involving girls aged eight and ten. He was scheduled to return to court for sentencing on March 26, where he also faced a further charge of alleged rape. At that time, Deacon was no longer involved with the Sithney Cornish Wrestling Club. His previous roles included serving as a chairman for the club and as a Sithney parish councillor, representing entities such as Police and Victim Support and the Cornwall Association of Local Councils (CALC).