FREDRICK ARTHUR BARTLETT

OLD SEX OFFENDER SPARKS CONTROVERSY WITH SUSPENDED SENTENCE

A 92-year-old man has been spared prison for sexual assaults on two girls, some committed over forty years ago.

Fredrick Arthur Bartlett, from Kirkby Stephen, had told one of the girls, "this was their little secret, and that she should not tell." The offences he committed were uncovered during counselling sessions the women had as adults, as reported to Carlisle Crown Court.

Bartlett pleaded guilty to three indecent assaults in the 1970s and 1980s, and two sexual assaults in the past decade.

His lawyer, Judith McCullough, explained that Bartlett's declining physical and mental health, along with Alzheimer's disease, should be taken into account, stating, "I would seek to persuade the court there are exceptional circumstances in this case." The judge, Nicholas Barker, noted that Bartlett would require significant resources for his supervision in a prison system already burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While acknowledging Bartlett's crimes were committed for his own "perverted satisfaction," the judge emphasized his advanced age and health issues.

Bartlett was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.