PAEDOPHILE FLEES UK AFTER ABUSING STOKE-ON-TRENT CHILDREN
A paedophile fugitive has fled the UK - before he could be jailed.Dwayne Spence was on bail and awaiting sentence after being found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting children.
But the 39-year-old has fled the UK before he could be sentenced.
Now Spence - who used to live in Stoke-on-Trent and latterly London - has been handed an 18-year prison sentence in his absence.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Spence sexually assaulted, raped and attempted to rape numerous children over a six-year period.
He worked at eon and would travel the UK, visiting Stoke-on-Trent, London and Scotland and volunteered at a football academy.
Anthony Longworth, prosecuting, said: “The defendant poses a high risk of serious harm to children.
There have been significant psychological and personal effects on the lives of the complainants and whether they are able to continue their studies and things they previously enjoyed doing.” Spence was convicted of two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of attempted rape, three counts of sexual assault of a child, five counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of rape.
The victims were aged 11 to 13.
Abigail Bright, mitigating, said: “He has worked productively in several roles.
Some of those roles were voluntary and included the football academy work alongside paid roles.” Judge Graeme Smith branded Spence a ‘coward’.
The 18-year prison sentence has an additional five-year extended licence once he is brought back to the UK.
He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Judge Smith said: “It’s clear Dwayne Spence is a paedophile and it’s clear he’s a coward by his absence.
I’ve been doing this job for 11 years and this is only the second time a defendant has tried to evade consequences as a result of their conviction, and the other time the defendant was extradited back to this country and passed a larger sentence.
“The victims in this case had to confront a trial where they were accused of lying to fabricate allegations and they did that against a background of profound emotional and physical abuse and I have read about the effects of that impact upon them.
The defendant may be a coward, but these victims were the opposite and showed outstanding bravery.”
