PETER PETRAUSKE AND JACK KEMP SENTENCED IN FALMOUTH FOR HORRIFIC CHILD SEX ABUSE

In December 2012, two men, Peter Petrauske and Jack Kemp, were sentenced to a combined total of 32 years in prison for their involvement in a disturbing child sex abuse ring linked to pagan rituals in Cornwall.

Petrauske, 72, and Kemp, 69, were part of a coven based in Falmouth. The court heard that from the 1970s until 2006, the group targeted vulnerable young girls, aged between three and 15, under the pretense of conducting pagan ceremonies. Victims described being lured with alcohol, made to strip and dance, often restrained with ties or blindfolded during ritualistic abuse. One girl recounted having a dagger drawn across her body, while another was threatened with burning.

During the three-week trial, it was also claimed that victims were assaulted by the late local councillor Peter Solheim, whose mutilated body was discovered in the sea in 2004. The abuse only came to light last year when Kemp was arrested on unrelated charges.

Police searching Kemp’s residence uncovered witchcraft paraphernalia, including swords, daggers, masks, and robes, which prompted victims to come forward after years of silence. Many victims had been coerced or threatened into silence, concealing the extent of the abuse for decades.

Judge Graham Cottle described the crimes as “truly horrific,” emphasizing that the abuse had “blighted” the victims' lives and that some might never fully recover. The judge also stated that both men had “a lifelong sexual interest in young female children.”

Petrauske, who had styled himself as “lord” or “chief” within the coven, was convicted of rape, aiding and abetting attempted rape, and indecent assault, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Kemp received a 14-year sentence for indecent assault and sexual activity with a child.

After sentencing, Detective Constable Rick Milburn remarked that this case was among the worst he and his colleagues had encountered.

Prior to sentencing, both men showed little emotion as they were led from the courtroom into custody. The victims provided harrowing testimony from behind screens, recounting abuse coupled with bribes of money and sweets to silence them.

Additional allegations during the trial connected the abuse to murdered pagan Peter Solheim and known paedophile Stan Pirie. Solheim, a 56-year-old parish councillor, was found murdered in 2004, his body mutilated and discarded at sea. The investigations into the historic abuses were reignited when Kemp was arrested last year for another incident, leading victims to come forward.

Kemp was acquitted of five charges, and Petrauske was also found not guilty of one count. The courtroom was filled with family and supporters, some leaving as verdicts were read. The judge announced that the two men would be sentenced the following Friday afternoon.