Man groped two children almost 30 years apart

A man who molested two children almost three decades apart has been jailed for four years and 10 months.

William Henderson, 51, from South Shields groped a child in the 1990s and another several years ago, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

His first victim said they grieved for the child that had been lost, while the mother of the second said her child felt "shame and guilt".

Henderson had initially denied wrongdoing but, on the day his trial was due to start, admitted indecent assault and sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13.

Judge Amanda Rippon said Henderson, of West Avenue in Harton, groomed the first victim.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said they had "misplaced feelings of shame" and it had been "very difficult to come to terms" with being a victim of abuse.

"It feels like grief for the child who didn't know how to react."

They said the abuse had affected their ability to maintain relationships and they still had regular nightmares many years later.

The mother of the second child praised their courage and bravery for reporting what Henderson did.

She said there had been a "loss" of innocence, trust and confidence in her child who felt "shame and guilt", adding the abuse was "unforgivable".

Judge Rippon said it was clear Henderson's actions had had "lifelong impacts" on the first victim and the second had also been majorly affected.

She told Henderson there was no sentence she could impose which would "give back what you have taken" or "fix what you have done".

Henderson must sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life and a sexual harm prevention order prohibiting him from being alone with children was also made to last indefinitely.

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