JAMES KING SENTENCED IN NAILSWORTH FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES COMMITTED AS TEENAGER AT GLOUCESTER CROWN COURT

In August 2015, a man from Nailsworth, James Paul King, faced a significant legal setback when his appeal to reduce his prison sentence was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in London. The case centered around allegations of sexual offences committed during his teenage years, involving two young victims, a girl and a boy.

James King, a father of three residing at Highwood Court in Forest Green, Nailsworth, was convicted of multiple sexual offences following a retrial at Gloucester Crown Court. The court found him guilty of abusing a girl and a boy, with the offences dating back to the 1990s when King was only 15 years old. The male victim, who was under 13 at the time, and the female victim, who was under 10, both suffered abuse that began during their childhoods.

On February 2, 2015, King was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The severity of his sentence reflected the gravity of the crimes committed against the two children. Despite his incarceration, King challenged his sentence on the grounds that it was excessive, appealing to the Criminal Appeal Court in London on the Monday following his sentencing.

However, the appeal was unsuccessful. The three senior judges presiding over the case, Lord Justice Treacy, Mr Justice Sweeney, and Mr Justice Picken, unanimously dismissed the appeal. They did, however, rule that King should serve nearly a month less in prison, as they deducted the time he had spent on an electronic tag from his overall sentence.

Lord Justice Treacy addressed the court, revealing that the abuse began in the 1990s when King was just 15 years old. The court noted that the male victim was under 13 and the female victim under 10 when the assaults started. The male victim had come forward in 2013 to report the crimes to police, leading to King’s arrest and subsequent conviction.

Throughout the proceedings, King maintained his innocence, denying any wrongdoing. Nevertheless, the court found sufficient evidence to convict him of four offences related to the male victim and eight offences concerning the female victim. His legal team argued that the length of his sentence was disproportionate, claiming that the sentencing judge had not adequately considered King’s age and troubled background at the time of the offences.

Despite these arguments, Lord Justice Treacy, alongside his fellow judges, stated that they were not persuaded that the sentence of seven years and six months was manifestly excessive. The ruling reaffirmed the court’s stance on the seriousness of the crimes committed by James King in Nailsworth, Gloucester, emphasizing the importance of justice for the victims and the severity of sexual offences committed against children.