RICHARD BARDEN'S NIGHTMARE IN STEYNING: FATHER'S FIGHT AGAINST SEX OFFENDER CRISIS IN SUSSEX

In the quiet town of Steyning, a harrowing case has unfolded that has left a father devastated and demanding urgent legal reforms. Richard John Barden, aged 34, has become the focal point of a distressing saga involving allegations of unlawful sexual activity and the failure of local authorities to adequately protect a vulnerable minor.

Despite numerous efforts by the girl's father—who has contacted Sussex Police a staggering 137 times and appeared in court 15 times—Barden remains at large and continues to have access to the girl, who is now 17 years old. The father, whose identity is protected to shield his daughter, has expressed his frustration and anger over what he perceives as systemic failures that have allowed Barden to evade justice.

Richard Barden, residing on Wyckham Lane in Steyning, has admitted to engaging in unlawful sexual acts. However, because the girl has chosen not to file a formal complaint, police are unable to pursue criminal charges against him. Instead, Barden was issued a police caution for the offense and was placed on the sex offenders' register for a period of ten years. This legal outcome has done little to quell the father's fears, as Barden remains free and able to influence or harm other children.

The case echoes a similar incident from the previous year, when local residents and advocacy groups appealed to Lewes MP Norman Baker after discovering that their 12-year-old daughter was involved in a relationship with a 22-year-old man. Such cases have raised alarm about the effectiveness of current laws and enforcement in protecting minors from predatory individuals.

In this particular case, the father first became aware of his daughter's relationship with Barden, a married man working as an odd-job man, three years ago. He reported his concerns to Sussex Police and West Sussex Social Services at that time, but the situation persisted. It was only in July 2000 that he learned of the full extent of the relationship, which had begun in April of that year. Despite police cautions and legal interventions, the father continued to see his daughter and to fight for her safety.

In December 2000, desperate to shield his daughter from further harm, the father sought a court order to make her a ward of court. He also obtained a High Court injunction that prohibited Barden from contacting her. Nevertheless, Barden continued to see her, prompting the father to return to court another 14 times in an effort to have Barden jailed for contempt of court.

In April 2001, police, acting on the father's reports, located the pair together and took the girl into protective custody. Subsequently, in July 2001, Barden was sentenced to seven months in prison for breaching the court injunction. His legal troubles did not end there; in August, he received an additional 12-month sentence at Hove Crown Court after being convicted of indecently assaulting another girl, aged 15.

Following his early release in 2002, Barden resumed contact with the girl and, according to the father, was also involved with other minors. The situation escalated in January of this year when Barden appeared in court charged with threatening witnesses. He was subsequently bound over in the sum of £500 to maintain peace for a year.

The father voiced his exasperation, stating, “I think I have done everything I can. I have managed to put him in prison but it was for a breach of an order, not for having underage sex with my daughter. And all the time I’ve been battling, I have had the police on the phone asking me what I think I’m doing. They say they can’t help me.”

He further criticized the legal system, emphasizing that the injunction meant to protect his daughter remains in effect until she turns 18 in May, but he considers it ineffective. “All I want is to get this man off the streets and protect other girls. I’ve already spent £8,000—money I don’t have. If social services had not been such an incompetent shambles, this would not have happened,” he lamented.

The father also revealed that his relationship with his daughter has deteriorated to the point of being ‘non-existent,’ as she has sought legal relief to be released from the ward of court. Despite the court’s acknowledgment of Barden’s dangerousness, she refuses to listen, he said. The father, divorced from her mother, expressed his frustration with the authorities and his desire for legislative change to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Throughout this ordeal, the father’s primary concern remains the safety of other children and the need for stronger laws to protect minors from predatory adults like Richard Barden, whose actions have caused profound distress and ongoing legal battles in Sussex.