JOSEPH WHITING, COVENTRY PREDATORY PAEDOPHILE, SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON
| Red Rose Database
Earlsdon Child Sexual Abuser
In September 2014, a top British court upheld the 15-year prison sentence for Joseph Whiting, a Coventry-based predatory paedophile who sexually abused two teenage boys decades apart. The Court of Appeal in London dismissed Whiting's challenge to his sentence, with Lord Justice Pitchford stating that the 15-year term was far from "manifestly excessive."
Joseph Whiting, 60, formerly residing on Warwick Road in Coventry, was convicted of multiple sex crimes stemming from offenses committed across two different decades. In the 1970s, he coerced a 13-year-old boy into sexual acts, groping him and encouraging him to pleasure him. The judge described the first victim as “impressionable and vulnerable,” noting that Whiting began grooming him around four decades ago. Whiting’s abuse involved touching the boy’s genitals and persistent nagging until the boy finally acquiesced.
Years later, in the 1990s, Whiting abused another 13-year-old, placing his hand down the boy’s pants and encouraging reciprocation after offering cigarettes and money to the vulnerable youth. These crimes remained secret until both victims came forward, leading to Whiting’s 2009 arrest. Authorities also found teenage homosexual pornography at his home during the investigation.
Whiting, who ad admitted to the crimes, initially received a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty in June 2010 to crimes including buggery, indecency with a child, and indecent assault. His sentence was increased to three additional years in October 2011 after he also pleaded guilty to indecent assaults on two adult males, bringing his total to 15 years. He must serve at least 10 years before parole eligibility.
In 2011, Whiting, then 58 and living in Earlsdon, Coventry, was further sentenced after two more victims, now adults, came forward. They accused him of indecently assaulting them in the early 1980s when they were just 14 years old. Whiting, who was in his late 20s at the time, had befriended them and then abused their trust for his own sexual gratification. These offenses emerged after one victim read a report about Whiting in the local press and contacted the police.
Judge Paul Farrer QC emphasized the gravity of these offenses, stating that although the three-year addition to the sentence might not normally be appropriate, it was justified considering the overall criminality. Whiting’s grooming involved offering cigarettes, alcohol, and inviting the victims to watch films and stay overnight at his home. He was described by the judge as having targeted boys from broken homes, seeking attention and exploiting their vulnerability.
Defense attorney Neelam Sharma acknowledged Whiting’s remorse and expressed empathy towards his victims. Whiting’s early crimes, involving acts at Coventry’s Pool Meadow bus station between 1972 and 1974 and again in 1995 to 1997, only came to light after victims bravely came forward years later. Due to his crimes, Whiting is mandated to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Joseph Whiting, 60, formerly residing on Warwick Road in Coventry, was convicted of multiple sex crimes stemming from offenses committed across two different decades. In the 1970s, he coerced a 13-year-old boy into sexual acts, groping him and encouraging him to pleasure him. The judge described the first victim as “impressionable and vulnerable,” noting that Whiting began grooming him around four decades ago. Whiting’s abuse involved touching the boy’s genitals and persistent nagging until the boy finally acquiesced.
Years later, in the 1990s, Whiting abused another 13-year-old, placing his hand down the boy’s pants and encouraging reciprocation after offering cigarettes and money to the vulnerable youth. These crimes remained secret until both victims came forward, leading to Whiting’s 2009 arrest. Authorities also found teenage homosexual pornography at his home during the investigation.
Whiting, who ad admitted to the crimes, initially received a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty in June 2010 to crimes including buggery, indecency with a child, and indecent assault. His sentence was increased to three additional years in October 2011 after he also pleaded guilty to indecent assaults on two adult males, bringing his total to 15 years. He must serve at least 10 years before parole eligibility.
In 2011, Whiting, then 58 and living in Earlsdon, Coventry, was further sentenced after two more victims, now adults, came forward. They accused him of indecently assaulting them in the early 1980s when they were just 14 years old. Whiting, who was in his late 20s at the time, had befriended them and then abused their trust for his own sexual gratification. These offenses emerged after one victim read a report about Whiting in the local press and contacted the police.
Judge Paul Farrer QC emphasized the gravity of these offenses, stating that although the three-year addition to the sentence might not normally be appropriate, it was justified considering the overall criminality. Whiting’s grooming involved offering cigarettes, alcohol, and inviting the victims to watch films and stay overnight at his home. He was described by the judge as having targeted boys from broken homes, seeking attention and exploiting their vulnerability.
Defense attorney Neelam Sharma acknowledged Whiting’s remorse and expressed empathy towards his victims. Whiting’s early crimes, involving acts at Coventry’s Pool Meadow bus station between 1972 and 1974 and again in 1995 to 1997, only came to light after victims bravely came forward years later. Due to his crimes, Whiting is mandated to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.