MICHAEL COLLINS SHREWLEY PLANT NURSERY SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR DECADES OF ABUSE

In December 2015, Michael Collins, a man well-known in the Shrewley community, was sentenced to over eight years in prison after being convicted of a series of serious sexual offences spanning more than four decades. Collins, who previously managed Barn Close Nurseries located on Old Warwick Road in Shrewley, faced multiple charges related to his inappropriate conduct towards young individuals, including children and teenagers who had assisted at his nursery business.

Despite vehemently denying the allegations, Collins was found guilty by a jury at Warwick Crown Court of 11 separate counts of indecent assault involving six victims. Additionally, he was convicted of acts of gross indecency committed with one of these victims and with a seventh child. The court heard that Collins’s offending began as early as the 1970s and continued until 2006, revealing a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior over many years.

Following the verdict, the court adjourned proceedings to allow for reports to be prepared on Collins’s personal circumstances. The judge, Recorder Christopher Millington QC, subsequently sentenced Collins to a total of eight years and three months in prison. This sentence comprised various consecutive and concurrent terms, with the longest single sentence being three and a half years. This particular sentence related to the sexual assault of a young girl aged approximately seven or eight, which occurred during Collins’s gardening work at her family’s residence. The judge noted that, under current law, this offence would now be classified as assault by penetration, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. However, at the time of the offence, the maximum penalty was only five years.

At 73 years old and still residing on Old Warwick Road in Shrewley, Collins is no longer involved in the operation of Barn Close Nurseries. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.

During the trial, prosecutor Simon Davis highlighted the extensive timeline of Collins’s offending, stating, “The defendant had been sexually assaulting people on and off between 1971 and 2006. When confronted along the way, he just brushed it off as though nothing had happened.” Collins’s defense barrister, Barry Kogan, attempted to portray Collins in a more sympathetic light, citing his poor health, including heart attacks and a severe skin condition, and referencing positive aspects of his life as reported by family and friends. Kogan urged the court to show mercy, emphasizing Collins’s age and health issues.

However, Recorder Millington was unequivocal in his judgment. Addressing Collins directly, he stated, “You are a frail man of 73 now, but back in the mid-70s, when you were in your 40s and became a visitor to the house where she lived, you had a sexual attraction to a little girl. You took advantage of your access to sexually abuse her. She kept the secret of your abuse for many years, and I have read a moving impact statement she has provided. There is no doubt she was very profoundly affected by what you did to her.”

The judge further remarked on Collins’s history of inappropriate conduct, noting that others who came into contact with him in his nursery business soon recognized his propensity for groping young men. He emphasized the seriousness of the offences, stating they clearly crossed the threshold for custodial sentences. Despite Collins’s persistent denial and refusal to show remorse, the court found the offences to be grave and deserving of significant punishment. The judge concluded by condemning Collins’s continued denial, describing his claims of conspiracy as unfounded and unfounded.

In a related case from October 2015, Collins faced similar allegations. The court heard that the former nursery boss was under investigation for decades of sexual misconduct involving young people, including teenagers who had helped at Barn Close Nurseries. Collins, then 73 and residing in Shrewley, had denied 21 sexual offences against nine victims. Nevertheless, a jury found him guilty of 11 charges of indecent assault on six victims, along with acts of gross indecency involving one of these victims and a seventh child.

The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report, and Collins was granted bail with a stern warning from Recorder Millington that he faced a substantial prison sentence. His defense lawyer, Kogan, acknowledged the likelihood of imprisonment but sought to present evidence of Collins’s poor health, including heart issues and skin conditions. The offences came to light after three victims, two women and one man, who were related, met at a family gathering in Birmingham in 2012 and recounted their childhood experiences from the 1970s to the 1980s. These disclosures prompted them to report the abuse to police, leading to further investigations and additional victims coming forward.

Throughout the trial, Collins maintained his innocence, claiming that any contact with the victims was accidental or that the victims had conspired against him. However, the jury was not convinced by his defenses. Testimonies from victims detailed how Collins had first abused a girl aged seven or eight while doing gardening work at her family’s home in Birmingham’s Sheldon area. Another victim recounted how, at around age 12, Collins had exposed himself and threatened to have her one day. The police investigation also revealed that four men had been sexually touched by Collins while working for him at various times from the late 1980s to 2003, further substantiating the pattern of abuse.

Ultimately, Collins’s long history of offending and the court’s findings led to his conviction and sentencing, marking a significant chapter in the ongoing effort to address and combat sexual abuse within the community of Shrewley and beyond.