Child sex-abuser, 102, sentenced for crimes from 1970s

LONDON: A 102-year-old man given a suspended sentence on Monday for sexually abusing a girl in the 1970s is thought to be the oldest person convicted of a crime in Britain, prosecutors said.

Douglas Hammersley was given a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of indecent assault.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the incidents took place in the Buckinghamshire area, to the west of London, when the victim was between five and eight years old. — Reuters

“We were able to prosecute Hammersley thanks to the victim coming forward, even though the offences were committed more than four decades ago,” said Jennie LaskarHall, senior prosecutor for the CPS.

In December, a 101-year-old man was jailed for 13 years for a string of historical sex crimes against two young sisters and their brother. Police said he was the oldest person to have been found guilty of a crime in British legal history.