Bakery heir Gregg cell plot to win his

HE IS LAUNCHING A SECOND BID TO HAVE HIS CONVICTION AND SENTENCE OVERTURNED

Reporter SHAMED bakery heir Colin Gregg is launching a second prison cell plot to try and earn his freedom.

The son of the founder of the Greggs bakery empire is fighting for the second time to clear his name after being jailed for sexually abusing young boys.

Paedophile Gregg was put behind bars for 13-and-a-half years in March after being found guilty of nine counts of indecently assaulting four victims.

The former charity boss molested the boys, who were aged between just 11 and 14, from the early 1960s until the 1990s.

Gregg was sentenced in Newcastle after being found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court, and the former public school head teacher will be 82 by the time he can apply to be released on licence.

But having had one attempt to try and appeal his conviction and sentence turned down, Gregg has now renewed his application in a last-ditch attempt to clear his name.

The Court of Appeal confirmed it had received an application from Gregg against both his conviction and sentence.

An initial request for permission to appeal had been previously rejected by a judge, but Gregg has made this second bid to overturn his conviction.

A Court of Appeal spokesperson confirmed: “Mr Gregg has been granted leave to appeal sentence and has renewed his application for leave to appeal conviction following refusal by the single judge.

“The matter is not yet listed for hearing.”

Colin Gregg - the court heard that the wealthy scion of the Greggs bakery empire disguised his twisted predilections under a ‘cloak of respectability’ as he abused his young victims over a number of years

Gregg, of Homefarm Steading, in Gosforth, Newcastle, stood motionless in the dock at Newcastle Crown Court as he was sentenced on March 30.

Onlookers in the packed public gallery wept as the “sophisticated, predatory paedophile” finally faced justice.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Robin Mairs said: “The damage you caused will last and has lasted much longer than any sentence I can impose on you.

“You were trusted with the care of young boys and abused that repeatedly in the most horrendous fashion. “The impact on them is life long. “You have, as I have said, not a shred of remorse or not a pine of conscience for what you have done.”

Judge Mairs added: “This was sophisticated predatory behaviour, you are a sophisticated predatory paedophile.”

Married grandfather Gregg enjoyed great wealth and privilege and had repeatedly used his reputation ‘as a cloak of respectability’ to sexually abuse young boys, the court heard.

Gregg had also forced his victims to endure the personal torture and agony of facing him in court to give evidence after denying all charges.

During his trial, he claimed he was the victim of a police witch-hut and alleged the complainants were looking for compensation.

But the jury at Leeds Crown Court found him guilty of sexually abusing young boys.

As well as 13-and-a-half years in prison, Gregg - who founded the North East Children’s Cancer Run - has been banned from working with children and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.