RICHARD OLDHAM'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN YORK AND BRADNINCH REVEALED

In December 2013, the case of Richard Oldham, a teacher from York, who committed a series of heinous crimes involving child abuse, took a significant turn when his initial sentence was dramatically increased after an appeal. Oldham, aged 32 at the time, had previously been sentenced to only six months in prison for a range of serious offences committed while working at primary schools in York between 2004 and 2012, before relocating to Cornwall. His crimes included sexual assaults on two 10-year-old boys, voyeurism, and the possession and creation of indecent images of children.

During his sentencing at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Rodney Jameson QC acknowledged Oldham’s struggles, stating he had “demons to wrestle with,” but also expressed confidence that Oldham was capable of overcoming his issues. Despite this, the sentence was considered unduly lenient, prompting the Solicitor General Oliver Heald to request a review. Consequently, on December 5, the Court of Appeal increased Oldham’s prison term to 13 months.

Lord Justice Treacy, sitting alongside Mr Justice Wilkie and Mrs Justice Andrews, emphasized that the original six-month sentence failed to adequately reflect the gravity of Oldham’s repeated abuses of power and trust. The judge described Oldham’s conduct as “highly exploitative,” targeting vulnerable boys who were under his authority and likely felt powerless to resist. The court highlighted that the offences spanned over a period of time and involved breaches of trust, especially considering the victims were under 13 years old.

Oldham’s criminal activities were carried out while he was employed at primary schools in the York area, where he taught for several years before moving to Cornwall. His offences included filming children during swimming lessons, inappropriate touching, and downloading hundreds of indecent images of children onto his home computer. The court was told that he had taken covert photographs of boys undressing and engaged in inappropriate conversations about sexual matters with pupils.

Following the appeal, Detective Sergeant Adam Normanton of North Yorkshire Police expressed satisfaction with the increased sentence, stating, “I am pleased that the court of appeal has taken the decision to increase Richard Oldham’s sentence to more accurately reflect the gravity of his offences.” He also praised the victims for their courage in coming forward and hoped that the longer sentence would serve as a form of justice for them.

Earlier in November 2013, Oldham’s initial six-month jail sentence was described as “catastrophically lenient” by child abuse charities. The Court of Appeal’s intervention was prompted by concerns that the original punishment did not match the severity of his crimes, which included filming children during swimming lessons, touching pupils inappropriately, and possessing thousands of indecent images, some of which depicted the rape of children.

Oldham’s actions, which spanned over eight years, involved covertly filming children, engaging in sexual conversations, and downloading images from the internet. His offences were uncovered after a 10-year-old boy reported inappropriate touching, leading to police investigations that revealed the extent of his abuse. Despite his pleas of guilt, Oldham showed no visible remorse as he was led away from court, wearing a grey suit and standing before a packed gallery of friends and family.

In addition to his increased sentence, Oldham was subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years, and banned for life from working with children. Detective Sergeant Normanton condemned Oldham’s predatory behavior, emphasizing that he had exploited his position as a teacher to satisfy his sexual interests and had targeted children who were unlikely to report him.

Oldham’s case remains a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance and safeguarding in educational environments, and the justice system’s role in holding offenders accountable for their egregious violations of trust and innocence.