STEPHEN YATES FROM WOLVERHAMPTON JAILED FOR SIX YEARS FOR CHILD ABDUCTION AND SEX OFFENSES

In August 2014, a man with a troubling history of sexual offenses and child abduction was sentenced to a six-year prison term after being found guilty of abducting two young girls and luring them back to his flat in Wolverhampton. The court heard that Stephen Geoffrey Yates, aged 52 and residing on First Avenue in the Low Hill area, had a long-standing pattern of predatory behavior that spanned decades.

Judge John Warner described Yates as an extremely dangerous individual during the sentencing. In addition to his prison term, the judge ordered Yates to serve an extended license period of eight years, emphasizing that he must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole. This decision underscores the serious concern about Yates's potential to reoffend.

Yates had previously been convicted on multiple occasions for similar offenses. During an earlier trial, he was found guilty of three counts of abducting a child without lawful consent, along with an additional charge of enticing a child under the age of 13. Throughout the proceedings, Yates maintained his innocence, denying all charges related to incidents that occurred on two separate occasions in the Low Hill area.

The court was told that the victims, two young girls, had initially been playing with Yates’s Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Bella in the vicinity of Showell Circus. It was alleged that Yates had offered the girls chocolate, which may have been an attempt to lure them closer. Despite warnings from one girl’s mother, who had previously warned Yates to stay away from her daughter and threatened to call the police, Yates continued his predatory behavior.

On January 23 of that year, Yates encountered one of the girls again. He approached her and inquired why she was out alone. He then invited her into his flat after she was again playing with his dog. Once inside, Yates gave her £2 and asked, “do you want to do something rude?” The girl managed to escape from the flat, running out without any assault taking place. The court noted that no physical harm was inflicted during this incident, but the behavior was deemed highly inappropriate and criminal.

Prosecutor Mr. Gurdeep Garcia highlighted Yates’s criminal history, which includes a five-year sentence in 2002 for child abduction and a similar term in 1995 for two counts of indecent assault against children. His record also shows a 16-month jail term in 1993 for three counts of indecency with children, and in 1979, he received a conditional discharge for indecent assault. These prior convictions paint a disturbing picture of a man with a persistent pattern of offending against minors.

Yates’s defense attorney, Mr. Oliver Woolhouse, argued that no actual assault occurred during the recent incident. He pointed out that Yates had been free for eight years since his last release from prison and emphasized that these were his first offenses in that period. Woolhouse acknowledged that Yates’s behavior was unacceptable but suggested that his difficult upbringing might have contributed to his actions, stating, “Those experiences he had as a youngster will have played a significant part in creating the man he has today.”

Judge Warner, in delivering his sentence, expressed grave concern about Yates’s risk to the public, especially children. He stated, “You pose a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public, in particular children. Your latent tendencies have resurfaced again, and I believe that they will again in future.” The judge’s comments reflect the ongoing danger Yates represents and the importance of protecting the community from further offenses.