PETER NORSWORTHY, PLYMOUTH PAEDOPHILE, RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER NINE YEARS
In June 2015, concerns arose over the release of Peter Norsworthy, a predatory paedophile from Plymouth, who was released from HMP Channings Wood after serving nine years of a 15-year sentence.Norsworthy, now 69, was originally jailed in October 2006 at Plymouth Crown Court, where he was convicted of 13 charges, including nine counts of rape and three of indecent assault, all involving boys under the age of 16.
He was also found guilty of intimidating one victim into retracting a prior allegation of sexual abuse made in 1996.
Sources revealed that Norsworthy's release happened yesterday, prompting fear among his victims’ families.
The mothers of two victims expressed their concerns about his return to Plymouth.
One mother, who chose to remain unnamed, shared that her son contacted her last week after learning Norsworthy was about to be released.
She said: “He’s a family man now with children, but this still upsets him greatly.
He’s very fragile when it comes to this man.
We won’t even say his name out loud.
I would be very concerned if he came back to Plymouth.
We were told there was a general rule that someone who has offended in this manner would not be allowed back to their hometown, and if he contacted his victims he would be breaking his parole.
But we don’t know for sure whether he can return to Plymouth.” Another mother, caring for a son who recently suffered brain damage from a rare illness leaving him with limited memory and requiring constant care, expressed doubt about the authorities' ability to keep Norsworthy out of Plymouth.
She said: “What guarantee do we have that he can’t come here?
We were told he’d be released a few weeks ago by a MAPPA worker [Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements], which are meant to oversee the management of violent and sexual offenders.
I called police to ask where he was going.
They said he was not in Plymouth, but I questioned how they could stop him unless borders are monitored.
He evaded authorities for 40 years—either outsmarting them or being allowed to do so.
He still has friends in Plymouth.
Goad used to come all the way from Thailand to visit friends and business associates when he was on the run, wanted by police for abusing boys.
If they couldn’t stop him entering the country then, how can they prevent Norsworthy from coming into Plymouth?
She added: “I hoped he’d never get out, that he’d die in prison like Goad.
I didn’t think we’d go through this again.
My son is as vulnerable as when he was abused by Norsworthy.
I look at him and think about the terrible things those men did to him.
What’s to stop Norsworthy from coming back and tracking him down?” During the trial, Norsworthy’s not guilty pleas led victims to give harrowing accounts in court of the repeated, often violent, sexual abuse they endured.
Many broke down as they detailed their assaults, some as young as 11.
Families in the courtroom heard in graphic detail what their boys endured.
Some victims received BMX bikes as compensation for their suffering, while others’ parents had debts paid or overlooked.
Victims were sometimes taken for weekend trips to cities like London and Manchester, where they were shared among men involved in the ring.
Threats and payments were used to silence these boys, and some boys reported that prominent members of society had links to the paedophile ring.
The trial revealed that Norsworthy even shared some boys with William Goad, the former owner of Cornish Market World and Ben’s Playworld.
Norsworthy was part of a group including notorious paedophile William Goad, who was labelled Britain’s worst paedophile when he received a life sentence in October 2004, and Eddie Pratt, who took his own life after the police investigation and reportedly left a note reading “Ha ha.” At the 2006 sentencing, Mr.
Justice Jack described Norsworthy as “a predatory paedophile who poses a real risk to the long-term psychological well-being of your victims.” He was sentenced to serve a total of 15 years but will not return to Plymouth; instead, he will be released into the wider Devon area.
The court detailed how Norsworthy lured boys into his home with offers of alcohol, drugs, or companionship, then exploited his influence to commit abuse, often drugging the boys before raping them.
Evidence showed that he and Goad sometimes abused boys together and introduced each other to victims.
William Goad, dubbed Britain’s worst paedophile, died of natural causes in October 2012 at HMP Isle of Wight, Albany.
He was believed to have abused up to 3,500 boys and boasted about beating his own record of abusing 142 boys in a single year.
Goad’s lifestyle and crimes had been described as “voracious, calculating, predatory, and violent,” and during Norsworthy’s trial, he was referred to only as “a friend,” as public identification was prohibited to avoid prejudicing the case.
Court proceedings detailed grooming practices including getting boys addicted to cannabis, offering alcohol or drugs, and threatening violence.
Some victims spoke of turning to heroin or burglaries to cope or avoid further abuse, with one admitting to feeling safer in custody than in the hands of abusers.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated they could not comment on individual cases, but the case and its implications remain a stark reminder of ongoing issues surrounding sexual abuse and the difficulties in monitoring offenders post-release.
