RONALD CRANSTON FAILS TO REVERSE CONVICTION IN LONDON COURT

In July 2007, a man named Ronald Cranston, aged 46 and residing on Shelgate Road, SW11, faced a setback in his legal battle to overturn his conviction for sexual offenses involving a young girl. Cranston had been found guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court in June of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 and of sexually assaulting a child under 13. He was subsequently sentenced on July 25 to 30 months in prison.

Cranston’s appeal hearing revealed that the young girl had made allegations against him after a birthday party, claiming two separate incidents took place in a bathroom. According to the Court of Appeal, she recounted to police that Cranston had masturbated in front of her and, later that day, insisted on wiping her bottom.

Lord Justice Dyson noted that the girl only mentioned the second incident weeks after the first when asked directly if anything else had happened. During the appeal, Cranston’s legal team argued that the conviction was unsafe, suggesting the girl’s memory had been compromised due to numerous questions from her mother before involving the police. They also claimed the girl had been rehearsed and had made inappropriate sexualized comments about innocent events since the party.

However, the Court of Appeal, comprising Lord Justice Dyson, Mr Justice Forbes, and Judge John Rogers, concluded that the victim’s evidence remained consistent throughout proceedings. Dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Dyson stated, “It was natural that the young victim did not mention the second incident until prompted because she was embarrassed about it.”