Brixham man jailed for child sex offences

A Brixham man has been jailed for seven and half years for the sexual abuse of two boys.

Graham Bartlett, 56, from Briseham Road in Brixham, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday 4 September after previously being found guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child and four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. He had previously pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing incident images of children.

Bartlett was found not guilty of a number of other child sexual abuse charges.

During the trial, the court heard how in 2008 a then teenage boy disclosed that he had been abused by Bartlett, however no action was taken against Bartlett at this time.

Eleven years later in 2019, another adult male disclosed been sexually abused by Bartlett when he was a child, leading to the 2008 case being reopened.

On his arrest, indecent images and videos spanning Categories A, B and C were found on Bartlett’s phone.

The court heard that Bartlett had groomed the boys before the sexual offending occurred.

In interview Bartlett admitted knowing both victims but denied having any sexual interest in young boys, and any sexual activity taking place. The victims were not known to each other.

He blamed the indecent images on his phone on a cracked screen and viruses.

Bartlett appeared in court yesterday where the judge sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison. He will also sign the sex offenders register for life.

Officer in the case DC Julian Smith said: “Graham Bartlett has now been convicted of a number of sexual offences committed against children.

“Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to Bartlett having a sexual interest in young boys, he’s never had the courage to admit what he did and as a result, forced the victims to give evidence at court.

“I would like to thank all those connected to the case for remaining engaged during the court process.

“We will continue to investigate all allegations of child sexual abuse, regardless of when it was reported, and support victims every step of the way.”

If you have been affected by this article there is support available.

You can visit victimcare-dc.org to access support services and information on your rights and how to navigate the criminal justice system.

You can also call Victim Support on 0808 1689 111 or Devon and Cornwall Police’s Victim Care Unit on 01392 475900.

Advice and support can also be found at:

National Rape Crisis Helpline 0808 802 9999

Devon and Cornwall Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) 0300 3034626

For more information please visit: www.dc.police.uk/Rape-SexualAssault