COLIN LUKE SENTENCED IN COUNTY DURHAM FOR ABUDCTION AND SEXUAL ASSAULT OF SCHOOLGIRL

In July 2014, a man named Colin Luke was sentenced to prison for the abduction and sexual assault of a young girl in County Durham.

On Wednesday, March 12, Luke, 60, of Lawson Road, Bowburn, lured a schoolgirl away from her friends at a public park in Bowburn. He approached her and asked if she liked walks, suggesting they would go somewhere quiet to play.

Luke then took the girl into nearby woods, where he began stroking her hair and called her "my baby." The court was told that the girl quickly became frightened, started crying and screaming.

At this critical moment, the girl’s mother called her on her mobile to check her whereabouts. Durham Crown Court heard the mother became worried when her daughter appeared upset and told her she was lost. Anne Richardson, prosecuting, said: "Her mother ran to the park and called the police before calling her daughter back."

Meanwhile, the girl attempted to run, but Luke refused to let go of her hand. Eventually, she managed to free herself and ran back toward the park. The prosecution added: "Her mother asked her daughter on the phone where she was. She could hear a male voice in the background saying [the girl] was in the park. She could hear her daughter screaming and crying and was frantic because clearly her daughter was not."

The girl returned to the park, visibly distressed and hysterical, running into her mother’s arms. Luke was present nearby but was not immediately identified.

An investigation was launched, leading to Luke's arrest. Initially, he denied being in the park, but both the girl and another girl present identified him during an identity parade. Luke admitted to abducting a child, and later, he also confessed to sexually assaulting the girl under 13.

A victim impact statement from the girl’s mother described the ordeal as "the worst experience of my life. It is something I will never forget and it will haunt me forever."

Judge Christopher Prince sentenced Luke to four and a half years in prison. The judge described Luke as "infatuated" and waiting for an opportunity to target the girl. He noted that Luke had lied to the police to avoid detection and considered him a dangerous offender with a high risk of targeting other children.

Upon release, Luke will serve an additional five years on licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and is subject to a sexual offences prevention order.