DARREN GAY WESTON PAEDOPHILE'S FAILED APPEAL IN BRISTOL AND LONDON COURTS

In November 2008, the High Court dismissed the appeal of Darren Gay, a known predatory paedophile from Weston, who had been convicted of heinous crimes involving a young girl. Gay, aged 41 and residing on St Paul's Road in Weston, was sentenced to an indefinite imprisonment under the terms of an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) order at Bristol Crown Court after he admitted to sexually assaulting a young girl earlier that year in January.

The IPP sentence, which is nearly equivalent to a life sentence, means that Gay will remain incarcerated until he can persuade the Parole Board that he no longer poses a threat to society, particularly to children. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in London, where Judge Peter Jacobs, sitting alongside Lord Justice Richards and Mr Justice Foskett, delivered the verdict.

The court heard that Gay had initially gained the trust of the girl’s family through his friendly interactions at the bakery in Bristol, where he was employed. It was revealed that Gay had recently been released from serving a lengthy prison sentence for previous sexual offences when he secured his job at the bakery. Prosecutors argued that Gay, who is known to easily form friendships with both adults and children, deliberately befriended the girl’s relative to get closer to the young girl.

The court detailed how Gay exploited a family gathering in 2007 as a pretext to ascend to the upper floor of the house and sexually assault the sleeping girl. This disturbing incident was part of a pattern of sexual misconduct, as Gay has a troubling history of prior offences against children. Court records show that approximately 18 years earlier, Gay was sentenced to a 10-year term for indecent assault and abduction. During that earlier incident, he abducted a four-year-old girl who was playing with friends in a public area of Weston, driving her away in his car before subjecting her to indecent assault.

The case was brought before London’s Appeal Court as Gay challenged the validity of his IPP sentence. However, Judge Jacobs firmly stated that the original Crown Court judge had correctly assessed Gay as a significant danger to children, making the IPP sentence both appropriate and inevitable given the circumstances. The court reaffirmed the importance of protecting vulnerable children from individuals like Gay, emphasizing the severity of his criminal history and the ongoing risk he poses.