Police commend bravery following sexual assault

Malcolm Arthur Blood, 69 of Willow Meer, Kenilworth was this week sentenced to 18 years in prison after being found guilty of 18 offences at Warwick Crown Court.

The unanimous guilty verdict was reached by a jury on Monday following the six day trial.

The offences were committed against a girl and boy - both between the ages of eight and fourteen at the time - between 1978 and 1981 while Blood lived in Warwick.

Investigator Peter Herring from Warwickshire Police’s child protection unit said Blood “systematically abused” the two children over a number of years after abusing a position of trust.

Commending the victim’s bravery he said: “It took many years for one of his victims to contact the police and from there we were able to identify the other person he abused.

“I would like to commend them for their courage in coming forward to report the offences to the police and for placing their trust in the judicial system.

“I hope this will encourage other victims to speak out in order to gain the justice they deserve and ensure that dangerous sex offenders are prevented from offending again.

“We want victims to know that they can contact police in complete confidence, we will treat their reports seriously, whenever they happened, prosecute where possible and at the very least refer them to support services.”

Detective Inspector Nigel Jones, who leads the protecting vulnerable people team in Leamington, said it had been a lengthy investigation, which took a huge amount of time and effort.

He encouraged anyone wishing to report crime or help other to contact the team on 101.