JOHN DUFFY FROM COLNE SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING TEENAGE GIRLS IN BURNLEY AND COLNE

In a series of disturbing revelations, John Duffy, a man well-known in the Colne community for his involvement in local youth activities and his role as a former parish councillor, has been convicted and sentenced for multiple sexual offenses committed against underage girls over a span of several years.

Back in December 2012, Duffy, then aged 51, was sentenced to an extensive 12-year prison term after a jury found him guilty of 21 counts of indecent assault and one count of gross indecency, all relating to incidents that occurred between 1989 and 1994. At that time, he was living in Colne and was actively involved in community life, which made the allegations and subsequent conviction particularly shocking to those who knew him.

It was revealed during the trial that Duffy had started his inappropriate conduct towards a young girl when she was approximately 11 years old. Over the course of four years, beginning when she was about 12, he engaged in numerous sexual acts with her, often in private settings such as his house, his car, and the local youth club where he was a leader. The girl, who was described as being infatuated with Duffy, believed his promises of marriage and was manipulated into participating in sexual activities, believing that this was a sign of love.

Prosecutor Alison Mather detailed how Duffy had repeatedly told the girl they would marry and even showed her holiday brochures of destinations they would visit together. She was led to believe that their relationship was genuine and that her love for him was reciprocated. The girl’s mother expressed her shock and disbelief when her daughter confided in her about the pregnancy, which resulted in an abortion when she was 15. The mother described Duffy as a charming and seemingly respectable man, which made the betrayal even more devastating.

Further court proceedings uncovered that Duffy had also targeted another girl, a schoolgirl from the Colne area, with whom he engaged in sexual activity in the early 1980s. This girl, also 15 at the time, became pregnant twice, leading to two terminations. Duffy was sentenced to an additional 18 months for these offenses, which will run concurrently with his 12-year sentence. The court heard that Duffy admitted to two counts of indecent assault during this hearing and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, with a ban from working with children.

During the sentencing, Judge Andrew Woolman emphasized the gravity of Duffy’s position as a youth leader and the exploitation of that role to commit his crimes. The judge described the pregnancy terminations as particularly tragic events in the victims’ lives, noting their emotional distress and the long-lasting impact of Duffy’s actions. The judge also pointed out that if the sentences for all the offenses had been combined last December, the total length would not have exceeded 12 years, highlighting the severity of the crimes.

In his defense, Duffy’s lawyer, Kama Melly, stated that the defendant’s long-standing relationship had ended and that the crimes had profoundly affected his life. Duffy, who had been living with his current partner for over ten years and running a local takeaway business, expressed remorse for his actions. Nevertheless, the court’s verdict underscored the betrayal of trust and the exploitation of vulnerable young girls by someone who was supposed to be a community figure and role model.