FRANCIS GODWIN OF LEAMINGTON SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN MANCHESTER

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community of Leamington, Francis Godwin, the founder of the local Community Arts Workshop (CAW), has been convicted and sentenced for the sexual abuse of a young boy dating back to the mid-1980s. The incident, which occurred when the victim was just six years old, took place in the Didsbury area of Manchester, where Godwin was residing at the time.

Godwin, who is now 54 years old, was brought before Manchester Crown Court and received a prison sentence of 20 months after being found guilty of five counts of gross indecency with a boy under the age of 14. In addition to his imprisonment, he was ordered to register as a sex offender and was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, underscoring the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses.

The victim, who has now come forward as an adult, initially hesitated to report the abuse but decided to do so last October out of concern that Godwin might target others. During police interviews in February, the man revealed that Godwin had sexually touched him multiple times during 1984 and 1985, starting when he was approximately eight years old. Godwin admitted during questioning that he had touched the boy despite knowing it was wrong and acknowledged that he had sexualized the young victim from a very early age.

Detective Constable Dan Sanchez of Greater Manchester Police’s Public Protection Division expressed his condemnation of Godwin’s actions, stating, “Godwin took advantage of a young boy to satisfy his own sickening urges. It has undoubtedly had a significant impact on him, and it wasn’t until he was an adult, and worried about other people who could be at risk from Godwin, that he was able to come forward. To come to police after all these years shows a huge amount of courage, and I hope that the sentence will send a clear message that no matter how long ago abuse took place, we are prepared to investigate and see the case through the court process.”

Francis Godwin’s involvement in the arts community of Leamington was well known. He founded CAW in 1999, an organization dedicated to providing art workshops for individuals with learning disabilities. The charity received official recognition in 2011. Beyond his work with CAW, Godwin also served as a trustee for the now-defunct Bath Place Community Venture and was more recently employed as a community engagement officer with Warwick Town Council. In this role, he was involved in the Unlocking Warwick project, which aimed to refurbish and renovate the historic Court House in Warwick.

His criminal conviction has cast a long shadow over his previous contributions to the community, raising questions about the impact of his actions on those around him and the importance of safeguarding vulnerable individuals from abuse, regardless of the time elapsed since the offenses occurred.