LEE WILSON FROM DARLINGTON RE-JAILLED AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT IN APRIL 2012

In April 2012, Lee Wilson, a man previously convicted of child sexual abuse, was sentenced to a further six years in prison following a sexual assault on a woman. A judge labeled Wilson a “significant danger” to women and ordered a public protection sentence.

Judge John Walford sentenced the 45-year-old, of Hercules Street, Darlington, to six years behind bars, with an additional six-year extension on licence if released. The judge highlighted Wilson’s “routine abuse” of alcohol as an aggravating factor contributing to his dangerousness.

Teesside Crown Court was told that unless Wilson participates in “structured interventions” to address his behaviour, he would remain a risk to others. A probation officer, who interviewed Wilson twice, reported that he “demonstrated entrenched abusive beliefs.”

Wilson’s criminal history includes a 2006 conviction for sexual activity with a child, which resulted in a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence. He also has convictions for sexually assaulting a child, which Judge Walford described as offences of a “very serious nature.”

Rod Hunt, defending Wilson, pleaded with the judge to avoid imposing an indefinite sentence of imprisonment for public protection. “The ultimate sanction of depriving a man liberty for life, which is effectively what it is, is not reached by these facts,” Hunt stated. “He was very sorry when he realized what he had done and what he put her through.”

Wilson admitted to assault by penetration and two counts of assault by beating. Referring to the probation report, Judge Walford noted: “It is the view of [the author] that by the commission of these offences, you have demonstrated entrenched abusive beliefs and behaviour, a sense of sexual entitlement, and a lack of internal control, which mark you as a dangerous man.”

The judge emphasized that unless Wilson engaged with “structured interventions designed to address the attitudes and beliefs” held by him, he would pose a significant risk of reoffending and causing harm to women and children.

The court also ordered Wilson to be on the sex offenders’ register for life and imposed an indefinite sexual offences prevention order. Past reports indicated that Wilson had struggled with alcohol abuse and depression, factors which the judge acknowledged could pose further risks if recurrent.