JOHN COLLINS SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS FOR ABUSE IN PARKLANDS AND NORTHAMPTON

In a case that has shocked the local community, John Collins, a 77-year-old man from Coppice Drive, Parklands, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being found guilty of multiple serious sexual offenses involving young girls in Northampton. The conviction follows a detailed trial at Northampton Crown Court, where Collins was accused of a disturbing pattern of abuse that spanned over two decades.

The jury, after careful deliberation lasting nearly five hours, returned unanimous verdicts of guilty on charges of indecent assaults and gross indecency against two young girls. Additionally, they convicted him by majority verdicts of three separate counts of rape. Despite the convictions, Collins continues to maintain his innocence, asserting that the allegations are false and that the abuse never occurred.

The court heard harrowing testimony from one of the victims, who chose to remain anonymous. She revealed that, in addition to being subjected to repeated abuse, she contracted sexually transmitted infections as a result of Collins’s actions. Her ordeal did not end there; she has also attempted suicide multiple times, highlighting the profound psychological scars left by the abuse.

Judge Michael Fowler, presiding over the case, handed down a sentence of 16 years in prison. He also imposed a sexual offences prevention order on Collins and confirmed that he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life. Due to the timing of the offenses, which occurred before recent legislative changes, Collins is required to serve a minimum of 12 years before being eligible for parole.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Fowler expressed his outrage at the nature of the crimes. He stated, “These offences involved children of a very young age when they occurred. Offences that right-thinking people would find it incredible that anyone could commit. Sadly, there are people like you who, corrupt in their desires and selfish in their aims, do commit such offences without regard to the damage they do at the time and without any thought to the damage they do in the future.”

The judge emphasized the profound impact on the victims, describing the abuse as turning their childhoods into “an ordeal” and their lives into “childhoods of horror.”

During the hearing, Stephen Crouch, representing Collins, highlighted that the defendant had no prior convictions and was suffering from serious health issues, including glaucoma, diabetes, and heart problems. Crouch noted that Collins had experienced a cardiac arrest and was in poor health, expressing regret that a man of his age and health status would likely spend the remainder of his life behind bars. He also mentioned that Collins appeared to be in denial about the allegations, claiming he had no memory of the events and was in a state of psychological blackout.