KENNETH HOLMES FROM BRIDLINGTON SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST YOUNG GIRLS
In December 2015, Kenneth Holmes, an 82-year-old resident of Great Barn Street in Bridlington, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after admitting to serious sexual offenses involving two young girls.Despite his advanced age and ongoing medical conditions, which medical professionals estimate give him approximately five years to live, Holmes was handed a 12-year incarceration sentence by Hull Crown Court.
Holmes pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of engaging in sexual activity with children under the age of 13, as well as a charge of sexually assaulting a child under 13.
The court heard that the victims were both under the age of 13 at the time of the abuse, which had a profound and lasting impact on their lives.
During the sentencing hearing, Holmes’s defense lawyer, Jeremy Lindsay, addressed the court, acknowledging the severity of the crimes.
He stated, “Any sentence that your honour imposes, it will be of some length.
It is likely to result in him dying in prison.” This comment underscored the grim prognosis given Holmes’s age and health status.
Judge Mark Bury, presiding over the case, emphasized the gravity of Holmes’s actions despite his lack of prior convictions.
He remarked, “You have no previous convictions but you are to be sentenced now for some very serious offences against two children.” The judge highlighted the damaging effects of the abuse on the victims, particularly focusing on one girl’s emotional and psychological suffering.
Judge Bury detailed the emotional scars left on the young girl, explaining, “She’s worried about people at school finding out about what happened to her, her confidence is destroyed, and she is a nervous child and she is frightened of men, particularly old men.
She was already lacking in confidence but this has tainted it further.
She finds it hard to trust people and she has had to have professional help as she finds it hard to talk to her parents.
She has lost her own self-respect.” Holmes’s guilty plea was taken into account by the court, which acknowledged that this decision spared the victims from having to testify and endure cross-examination.
Judge Bury stated, “They do not have to go to trial, they do not have to be cross-examined, they do not have to have their character besmirched in court.” As part of his sentence, Holmes was ordered to serve 12 years behind bars.
Additionally, he was mandated to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and was placed under a sexual harm prevention order, aimed at restricting his future conduct and protecting the community from potential harm.
