75-YEAR-OLD CONVICTED OF PROLONGED CHILD ABUSE AND MANIPULATION

Michael Brewer, aged 75, has been convicted of multiple serious sexual offenses against children. He began abusing a male victim when he was just 12 years old by masturbating in front of him and claiming it was part of sex education. Brewer also sexually assaulted a young girl using similar manipulative methods. During the sentencing at Newport Crown Court, Judge Carl Harrison described Brewer as a "calculated and cunning manipulator" and a "devious paedophile" who had a sexual interest in children for decades. The judge emphasized the manipulation involved in his crimes, stating: "This was a calculated and cunning manipulation of this child by, in my judgement, a devious paedophile." Brewer had a history of prior convictions, including sexual assault of a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual acts, and possession of extreme pornography involving animals. He was previously sentenced to six years and nine months imprisonment. In this case, Brewer was sentenced to nine months imprisonment to run consecutively with his current sentence and was also given an indefinite restraining order and sex offender notification requirements. A victim personal statement detailed the lasting emotional trauma caused by Brewer's abuses, describing feelings of trust betrayal, shame, fear, and ongoing emotional distress. The court acknowledged the significant impact on the victims, who expressed feelings of violation and confusion, and emphasized that Brewer's offending was deliberate, decades-long, and manipulative.