BRIXHAM MAN SENTENCED TO 7.5 YEARS FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
A Brixham man has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for the sexual abuse of two boys.Graham Bartlett, aged 56, from Briseham Road, did not admit his crimes and chose to take the case to trial, as police stated he 'didn't have the courage to admit what he did.' Bartlett was convicted at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday, September 4, after a jury found him guilty of sexual activity with a child and four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children in various categories.
Bartlett was acquitted of multiple other child sexual abuse charges.
The court heard that in 2008, a teenage boy disclosed abuse by Bartlett, but no action was taken at that time.
Eleven years later, in 2019, another man came forward with allegations of childhood abuse by Bartlett, leading to the reopening of the 2008 case.
Authorities found indecent images and videos on Bartlett’s phone, spanning categories A, B, and C.
It was also revealed that Bartlett groomed the victims before offending.
During police interview, Bartlett admitted knowing both victims but denied any sexual interest or activity, claiming the images on his phone were due to a cracked screen and viruses.
He was sentenced to sign the sex offenders register for life.
Officer DC Julian Smith commented: “Graham Bartlett has now been convicted of a number of sexual offences committed against children.
Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to Bartlett having a sexual interest in young boys, he’s never had the courage to admit what he did and as a result, forced the victims to give evidence at court.
I would like to thank all those connected to the case for remaining engaged during the court process.
We will continue to investigate all allegations of child sexual abuse, regardless of when it was reported, and support victims every step of the way.” Support for victims is available through victimcare-dc.org, Victim Support, and Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit.
The article emphasizes that anyone affected should seek help from these services.
