GRAHAM BIRKETT SENTENCED IN GLOUCESTER FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
In March 2014, Graham Birkett was convicted of serious sexual offenses involving young girls in Gloucester.Birkett attempted to conceal his abusive behavior by threatening his victims with retribution if they spoke out.
However, the courage of two young girls, particularly one who recorded her abuse on her mobile phone, led to his arrest and conviction.
The recorded evidence played a crucial role in the police investigation, culminating in his imprisonment last month.
The mother of one of the victims, who remains unnamed for legal reasons, expressed her hope that her daughter's bravery would inspire other victims to come forward.
She stated, “When you read about other stories like this I have always asked, how can the parents not know?
He built this wall of fear around her to stop her from talking about it.
These men should be named and shamed, children are not consenting adults.” She added, “My daughter hopes others may come forward so they can get help and don’t have to feel lonely anymore.
My daughter doesn’t want others to live the life she has had to live.
It has destroyed us.
My husband is broken inside.” The girl initially confided in school counselors, prompting the headteacher to contact her mother.
The mother recounted her reaction upon discovering her daughter's ordeal: “I was heart-wrenching.
My husband came home straight away but wouldn’t believe it until he had spoken with our daughter himself.
My daughter had done sex education in school and knew something wasn’t right.
She didn’t think she would be believed.
It was very brave of her to speak up.
She was very clever as she put a voice message on her phone to record what was happening, how she felt.” Although the recordings were accidentally deleted, police specialists successfully recovered them.
Although Birkett initially denied all allegations, he later pleaded guilty, thereby avoiding a trial that might have caused more distress to the victims.
He was sentenced on February 7, seven months after his arrest.
The mother reflected on the sentence, saying, “The sentence was better than I thought it would be.
In my eyes, life would not have been enough.
My daughter cried and said it was not long enough, I explained to her the judge had a job to do.
Hopefully he won’t come back to Gloucester.” She also expressed suspicions about Birkett's activities, mentioning that he would frequently disappear to Tuffley in his van and become aggressive if questioned, yet police found he was very clever at hiding evidence.
She noted, “He would say he was looking at a job.
It was weird, but he was always in the Tuffley area.
He was never found with images of children on his laptop; the police said he was very clever.
We don’t know if he was going to someone’s house or another child's location.
You just don’t know.
He was always one step ahead.” The judge pointed out the emotional impact of his crimes, commenting, “It’s strange there was a big gap between the abuse periods.
Children might not know a name, but they recognize a face.
And that face would haunt them for the rest of their lives.” A police officer described Birkett as manipulative and controlling.
At Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Jamie Tabor QC described Birkett's actions as ‘dreadful’.
Birkett’s crimes involved abusing one girl in 1999 and 2000, with additional offenses against two others last year.
All victims were under 13 at the time.
He pleaded guilty to multiple charges including indecent assault of a six-year-old between October 1999 and November 2000, sexual assault and another offence against a different girl between January and July 2013, as well as three other sexual offences and one sexual assault committed between May and July 2013.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison, with an indefinite order to prevent further sexual offenses, and was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.
