Rapist pensioner lured his young victims with toys

A child rapist who abused two young boys has been jailed for 20 years.
Police mugshot of Stephen Carr, 68, from GoosnarghPolice mugshot of Stephen Carr, 68, from Goosnargh
Police mugshot of Stephen Carr, 68, from Goosnargh

Stephen Carr, 68, groomed the youngsters buying them Lego and other treats, Preston Crown Court heard.

The disgusting catalogue of abuse came to light when the children’s mother walked into a bedroom to find Carr, 68, abusing her six-year-old son.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The woman asked her son what had been happening but the boy told her he was not allowed to tell or he would get into trouble.

Judge Christopher Cornwall, sentencing, said: “You had not only abused his body, you had abused his mind.”

In a moving victim impact statement, the mum said: “Since this came to light last year we have stopped living. We are just existing, trying to find our way through each day at a time.”

She spoke of the trauma her husband experienced hearing his son give a detailed account to the police about what Carr had done to him.

“He will never be able to unhear that,” she said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Carr, of Beacon Fell Caravan Park, Goosnargh, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and four counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Judge Cornwall said: “These are utterly terrible crimes. Every single day the parents have to come to terms with the reality that their sons’ innocence was taken away by you.”

The older boy has suffered anxiety and a change in his behaviour, the court heard.

When Carr was confronted by the younger boy’s mum in the bedroom, he simply said “I know, I’m sorry” and left the room.

Judge Cornwall said: “You have left in your wake a trail of devastation. Parents who regard themselves at fault because they did not protect their children.”