RICHARD IRVING SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN BRISTOL COURT FOR CHILD INDECENCY OFFENSES

In October 2005, Richard Irving, aged 34, was sentenced to a decade in prison after a jury at Bristol Crown Court found him guilty of 10 counts of indecency with a child and one count of indecent assault. He was acquitted on an additional charge of indecency with a child.

Back in September 2005, court proceedings revealed a disturbing case involving Irving and another man, who was not named because there appeared to be no record of convictions related to him. The court heard that both men shared an interest in child sex abuse.

The unnamed man, aged 35 and residing on High Street, Yatton, was charged with one count of rape, nine counts of indecency with a child, and one count of indecent assault. Irving faced 11 counts of indecency with a child along with one count of indecent assault.

Prosecutor Ian Fenny described the case to the jury, stating, “This is going to be a difficult case for everybody involved. Mr. (name not provided) and Mr. Irving were homosexual lovers. They had a sexual relationship, but also used children as part of their sexual activities repeatedly. These children are very disadvantaged; they are very young, have not achieved highly in education, and are very damaged.”

The prosecutor stressed that both defendants deny the allegations, claiming they are entirely fabricated. However, he questioned how the children could have knowledge of such acts, saying, “If that is the case, where did the children get the knowledge of the acts they described when interviewed by police, considering their age, lack of sophistication, and limited intellect? Children their age are unaware of adult sexual activities, so when they speak, they speak from experience.”

The court was informed that on multiple occasions, Irving and the unnamed man abused three children, some of whom witnessed the abuse happening to each other. It was also revealed that Irving had told one of the children, “If you tell anyone about this, I won’t be happy.”

Although one of the children admitted during police interviews that he and Irving shared a sexual relationship, Irving continuously denied these allegations.

The jury was told that testimony would come from the three child victims, along with their teachers and police officers. The case was ongoing at the time of the report.