WILLIAM MAPP OF STOURPORT ON SEVERN JAILED FOR HISTORIC SEX OFFENCES AGAINST BOYS

In a case that has spanned decades and brought to light disturbing allegations from the late 1960s, William Rex Mapp, an 86-year-old resident of Stourport on Severn, has been sentenced to prison for serious sexual offences committed against two young boys nearly fifty years ago.

William Mapp, who was known in the community as a former Scout master, appeared in court with visible signs of frailty, walking with the aid of a frame and appearing stooped. He was helped into the dock and required a hearing aid to follow the proceedings. His age and physical condition were evident as he faced charges that had only recently come to light.

The charges against Mapp involved two victims, who at the time of the offences were aged 15 and 17. Both men are now in their 60s. Mapp admitted to two counts of indecent assault, with the incidents dating back to the late 1960s. Specifically, he confessed to assaulting one victim, who was 15 at the time, on at least three separate occasions between November 3, 1968, and November 4, 1969. The second offence involved a single assault on the other victim, who was 17 at the time.

Prosecutor Stefan Kolodynski outlined that the case first emerged in February 2015 when one of the victims contacted police after discovering that Mapp was still alive. The complainant, then 17, recounted an incident during a driving lesson when Mapp pulled over into a layby and began rubbing his leg. The situation escalated as Mapp allegedly 'frog marched' the young man to a nearby perimeter wall before sexually assaulting him. Following this incident, the victim severed all contact with Mapp and did not report the matter until years later, after a conversation with a former colleague who referred to Mapp as ‘sexy Rexy’. The victim had assumed Mapp had died.

Initially, Mapp denied any knowledge of the complainant during police interviews. However, he later named another boy, which prompted police to locate the second victim, who was 15 at the time of the offences. It was revealed that Mapp would pay this second victim 'handsomely' for odd jobs, typically between £20 and £40 per week. Further investigation uncovered that one of the assaults took place inside a church, where Mapp approached the young boy from behind, unzipped his trousers, and committed an indecent act. This particular assault was said to have occurred on three separate occasions.

Mapp claimed that the incident involving the 15-year-old was 'consensual' and described it as 'sexual experimentation.' However, the court heard a harrowing account from the 17-year-old victim, whose testimony was described by Judge Robert Juckes QC as 'harrowing reading.' The judge characterized Mapp’s actions as grooming, emphasizing the manipulative and predatory nature of his conduct.

In sentencing, Judge Juckes QC stated that only an immediate custodial sentence would adequately reflect the gravity of the offences. Mapp was sentenced to 20 months in prison for the assault on the 17-year-old and 30 months for the assault on the 15-year-old, with both sentences to run concurrently. Additionally, a sexual harm prevention order was imposed, restricting Mapp’s contact with individuals under the age of 16 for the next ten years. He is also required to register as a sex offender for ten years.

During the sentencing hearing, the victim who was 17 at the time watched from the public gallery. After the proceedings concluded, he expressed a sense of relief, stating, 'I have got justice today after all these years.'

Earlier in November 2016, Mapp had already admitted to a series of historic sex offences. He changed his pleas to guilty on five charges at Worcester Crown Court, including two counts of indecent assault and three of gross indecency with a child. All these offences involved the same victim, then aged 15, and took place between November 1968 and November 1969.

Prosecutor Stefan Kolodynski explained that the victim, now in his late 60s, had been consulted and was willing to accept the guilty pleas, although he felt they did not fully encompass his original allegations. The victim had been hesitant about giving evidence but was relieved that some acknowledgment of his suffering had been made.

The maximum sentence for the indecent assault charges was stated as ten years. Mapp’s defense requested a pre-sentence report and a medical assessment to determine whether his health could withstand imprisonment. Mapp, who was seen using a wheeled walker and allowed to sit at the back of the court, suffers from pulmonary hypertension, osteoarthritis, and multiple heart problems requiring regular specialist care.

Judge Juckes ordered the necessary reports but warned that the offences still met the criteria for a custodial sentence. Mapp was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to avoid any unsupervised contact with anyone under 16. Sentencing was scheduled to be finalized on December 15, with the possibility of jail time remaining on the table.