Paedophile jailed for "missing" years (From Tivyside Advertiser)

Paedophile jailed for "missing" years

2:19pm Thursday 18th March 2010

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A paedophile from New Quay has today finally received the jail sentence he should have been given in 2006.

Malcolm Hearne, aged 70, was then jailed for seven years for molesting a young boy at his then home in the town, and filming the assaults But what the judge didn't know at the time was that he had also sexually assaulted three girls and a second boy some years earlier.

Judge Christopher Vosper said pony tailed Hearne should have been jailed for 10 years and today sentenced him to the "missing" three years.

Hearne completed the custodial element of his original sentence 77 days ago and had been due for release.

But while he was still in Usk prison police officers arrested him for the outstanding matters.

Today, Hearne, who lived at Spencer House, Cnwc y Lili, in 2006, admitted nine specimen offences of sexual assault on children under the age of 13.

Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting at Swansea crown court, said as a result of publicity surrounding the jailing of Hearne in 2006 the other four victims had come forward.

They had been assaulted between 1994 and 2001 when they had been between five and 12 years old.

Mr Thomas said Hearne enticed the girls into an attic at Spencer House where he lured them into playing games which, although innocent at first, he turned sexual. In another incident he inserted an ornamental spoon into the vagina of one of the girls.

Mr Thomas said the sexual assault of the boy had taken place at a hotel in Banbury of which Hearne had been the owner for some years.

After his arrest Hearne refused to answer any questions but eventually gave the police a prepared statement in which he denied all the allegations.

But by the time he appeared in court he admitted nine of the 28 allegations against him.

Hearne's barrister, Richard Twomlow, said his client appreciated that he would receive an additional jail sentence but urged the judge to take his age into account.

Judge Vosper said if the judge who sentenced Hearne in 2006 had been aware of the true extent of his offending it was "overwhelmingly probable" he would have classed him as a dangerous offender and passed an indeterminate sentence.

That would have enabled the prison authorities to keep him locked up until he was deemed to be no longer a risk to children.

But the present crimes dated back to before the relevant Act of Parliament and he could not use new legislation to punish old crimes.

Hearne was jailed for three years, to run from the custodial element of the sentence passed in 2006.

He is already registered with the police as a sex offender and banned from ever working with children.

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