SEX PREDATOR ERIC COATES SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS FOR CHILD ABUSE

Eric Coates, aged 51, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to 15 sexual offenses against young girls aged 11 to 14, as well as a single mother of three who rented a house. He was detained after being extradited from Serbia. According to court reports, he confessed to ten counts of indecent assault, two counts of rape, two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with girls under 13, and one count of procuring a woman to engage in sexual acts through threats and intimidation. Judge Rodney Grant emphasized the long-lasting suffering of his victims, stating, "Those you have abused have suffered in the long-term no-one will know how much. The effect of your behaviour will affect them all their lives."

It was revealed that Eric Coates, along with his father Raymond Coates, aged 76, preyed on victims in their Huby home and elsewhere in Leeds. The court heard that Coates had to be extradited from Serbia to face justice in the UK. He is now on the sex offenders register for life and has been banned from working in any roles involving contact with children.

Details of the abuse included a pattern of sexual violence starting in 1978, with the abuse continuing into more recent years. Specifically, Coates and his father were accused of having sex with an 11-12-year-old girl, with the abuse allegedly occurring up to 150 times over two years. Coates's mother was reportedly present at times but did not intervene. The court also heard about Coates’s use of his Scarborough flat to abuse two 14-year-old girls, as well as exploitation of a single mother of three for rent in exchange for sexual favors. The court heard from prosecuting QC Andrew Campbell, who described these ongoing abuses and the manipulative tactics used by Coates, including threats to publish explicit photos and tell her parents. 

Coates's brother, Nigel Coates, was also convicted of a separate series of sexual offenses, including forcing his ex-wife and another woman to have sex with his father. Nigel was jailed for 13 years in 2003. His wife, Paula Coates, has maintained her innocence, insisting Nigel was not involved in inappropriate conduct.

Coates was also questioned by police concerning the murder of prostitute Vicky Glass in Middlesbrough, though he was released without charges, claiming he could not recall his whereabouts on the day she went missing. He admitted to using prostitutes from her area but denied any involvement in her death, which remains unsolved.

This case highlights a troubling pattern of abuse within a family, with significant long-term impacts on the victims involved.