HAMPSHIRE SEX ABUSE TRIO GUILTY OF DECADES-LONG CRIMES
Two men and a woman from Hampshire's New Forest have been convicted of child sex abuse that occurred over a period of 40 years.Michael Brooks, aged 66, of Lymington, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual activity with a child.
Patricia Harris, aged 57, of New Milton, was convicted of attempted rape.
Peter Saville, aged 64, of Ringwood, was found guilty of sexual activity with a child.
Brooks was also found on Monday to have committed five counts of cruelty.
The trio faced allegations of abusing six victims in the New Milton area, with abuse dating from 1968 to 2007.
Harris and Saville had denied the charges, while Brooks was deemed unfit to plead until a Court of Appeal ruling allowed the jury to decide his guilt.
During the trial at Southampton Crown Court, four other defendants were cleared of the abuse charges.
In addition, Ian Whitlock, 66, of Cull Lane, New Milton, was acquitted of indecent and sexual assault charges.
Maureen Brooks, 63, from Lymington, was cleared of five counts of cruelty, and Terence Shave, 65, of Bramshaw Way, New Milton, was acquitted of indecent assault.
Patrice Budd, 47, of Bournemouth, was found not guilty of indecency with a child.
Furthermore, the jury failed to reach verdicts on several charges against other individuals, including Michael Brooks, Nico Sharque, and John Wells, with decisions to be made by 14 November.
Harris and Saville are scheduled for sentencing on 28 November.
Brooks had been judged unfit to plead initially, complicating the trial, but the jury ultimately found him guilty of the crimes.
All three defendants face sentencing.
