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Sexual Offences

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 updated the law, much of which dated back to 1956.

The main provisions of the Act include the following:

  • Rape is widened to include oral penetration
  • Significant changes to the issue of consent
  • Specific offences relating to children under 13, 16 and 18
  • Offences to protect vulnerable persons with a mental disorder
  • Other miscellaneous offences
  • Strengthening the notification requirements and providing new civil preventative orders

Find out more about how we prosecute sexual offences

Crimes involving young people

Young people as victims and witnesses

Being a victim or a witness to a crime is not easy, but we work hard to bring offenders to justice. Throughout the justice process we will support young victims and witnesses and treat them with dignity.

Find out more about how we support young victims and witnesses

Youth crime

The Crown Prosecution Service acts in partnership with other agencies such as the police, the youth justice board, children's services, courts and youth offending teams. Each area of the CPS has a youth justice specialist who oversees the prosecution of youth crime in their area.

Find out more about how we prosecute youth crime

Home » News Centre » Press Releases » Humberside's most prolific paedophile jailed for 18 years

Humberside's most prolific paedophile jailed for 18 years

07/01/2004

A children's facepainter from Bridlington was sentenced at Hull Crown Court today to 18 years in prison. Glyn Martin, 53, pleaded guilty on January 4 to 57 counts of indecency with a child, abducting children, administering a noxious substance, indecent assault and taking indecent photographs of children.

Humberside Chief Crown Prosecutor, Nigel Cowgill, today welcomed Martin's sentence.

"This is the worst case of systematic child abuse by a paedophile I have ever come across. Glyn Martin is an extremely dangerous man who committed his crimes in a methodical and calculated manner. He has risked ruining the lives of many vulnerable young girls who will bear the emotional scars for the rest of their lives.

"Martin's own meticulous records of his crimes ultimately produced a mountain of evidence against him. Humberside Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with the police to ensure that the charges brought reflected the seriousness of his crimes, and we welcome the substantial prison sentence.

"Humberside Crown Prosecution Service is pleased that through the work of the CPS and the police, we were able to obtain a guilty plea at this early stage and spare the many victims and their relatives and carers in this case, the trauma of a trial.

"Had the trial gone ahead, the CPS, together with the police and the Area Child Protection Committee Child Witness Service had worked very hard to ensure that wherever possible, victims, most of whom were unaware of what had happened to them, would not be called to court."

For more information contact CPS Press Office on 020 7796 8180.