GRAHAM SINGLEHURST SENTENCED TO NEARLY 40 YEARS FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE IN SPENCER

In a case that has spanned decades, Graham Singlehurst, a 59-year-old man from Spencer, has been sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against young girls. The crimes, which date back to the early 1970s and continued into the early 1990s, involved multiple victims and a pattern of disturbing predatory behavior.

Prosecutor Matthew Lowe outlined the case, stating, "The prosecution case is that over a relatively protracted period, he has sexually abused three girls. The offending dates from late 1970 through to the early 1990s. Although not continuous, there were some gaps in his offending."

Details revealed during the court proceedings painted a grim picture of Singlehurst’s actions. He targeted children aged between seven and 14, subjecting them to sexual assaults, exposing himself, and performing sexual acts upon them and himself. The victims, whose identities remain protected to preserve their privacy, endured years of silence before finally confiding in someone, which led to the investigation.

Mr. Lowe further explained, "One girl thought she was the only person being sexually abused, and on one occasion, she said that when she did not want to comply, he told her she was his favorite and then went to sleep with another girl. He knew she would not say ‘No’ after that. He told her it would be their secret."

Graham Singlehurst, who resides on Newcombe Road in Spencer, pleaded guilty to eight counts of indecent assault and acts of gross indecency prior to his trial last month. His guilty plea came after a lengthy investigation and court proceedings.

Yesterday, at Northampton Crown Court, Judge Michael Fowler sentenced Singlehurst to three and a half years in prison. The judge also ordered that he be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, banned from working with children, and imposed a 10-year sexual offences prevention order. This order explicitly prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with individuals under the age of 16.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Fowler described Singlehurst’s conduct as a "persistent course of conduct" that occurred before the law was amended to increase the maximum sentence for such offenses from two to ten years. The judge emphasized the severity of the breach of trust, stating, "You committed the grossest breach of trust. It’s clear from what’s been said in this case that what you did was against a background of fear and you have caused the greatest amount of suffering. It seems to me they were effectively prisoners subjected to regular abuse. It’s obvious you have a problem with drink but that does not diminish what you did."

Singlehurst’s arrest was notably delayed due to his hospitalization on the day he was scheduled to face trial in early June. He was admitted to hospital after ingesting tablets with alcohol and was suspected of having tuberculosis. His legal representatives, including Steven Evans, acknowledged his guilty plea, stating, "He did admit these offences and did not find it easy to do so. There was some prevarication."