GWYNEDD RAPIST CLIVE SHARP SENTENCED FOR MURDER AND SEXUAL OFFENSES
North Wales rapist and murderer Clive Sharp, originally from Bethesda, was convicted of raping, torturing, killing, and dismembering a vet named Catherine Gowing at her home in New Brighton near Mold.Sharp, aged 51 at the time of sentencing, was sentenced in 2013 to a minimum of 37 years in prison after confessing to fulfilling a long-standing fantasy involving imprisoning, raping, and murdering a woman.
During his trial at Mold Crown Court, it was revealed that he had discussed his disturbing desires in group therapy sessions.
The investigation uncovered that rather than suppressing his behavior, these sessions appeared to have encouraged it.
Sharp had previously participated in a sex offender treatment program (SOTP) in the 1990s while serving time for rape.
However, it was later revealed that this programme, which cost over £100 million overall and lasted 180 hours for each group, was ultimately ineffective and possibly counterproductive.
The program was terminated in March of 2017 after studies indicated that rapists and paedophiles who completed it were more likely to reoffend.
A Ministry of Justice review found that group discussions sometimes allowed offenders to share contacts or normalize their criminal behaviors, which increased the likelihood of reoffending, especially concerning offenses involving explicit images of children, with a reoffending rate of 4.4% among program graduates.
The report criticized the group-only treatment as lacking individualized focus, claiming it may 'normalise' offenders' behaviors or facilitate sharing of contacts related to sexual offending.
Despite numerous reservations from professionals, the scheme persisted.
The Ministry of Justice has reportedly obtained legal advice indicating that victims attacked by offenders after completing the program might sue the government for damages, including those offenders whose release was delayed while waiting for a place on the course.
