The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Paedophile lured boy home with ice cream
A paedophile offered a young boy ice cream before committing a sexual offence against him.
Andrew Snook asked a young boy to come to his home and remove his clothes.
The 56-year-old was caught later when the young boy told his mother what had happened.
Snook, who has a history of sexual offending against boys, has now been caged for the offence.
On Wednesday, Snook, of Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
He had pleaded guilty to the offence.
David Povall, prosecuting, said Snook had previous convictions for sexual offending.
Snook was caught for this offence after the child told his mum he had been to Snook’s flat where he was asked to remove clothing.
Mr Povall said: “There had been a discussion as to whether he would get an ice cream.”
The court was told that Snook has a “predilection for sexual activity with young boys” and had committed offences in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1996, he committed common assault against a young boy by putting his hand over his mouth and dragging him into a house before the boy escaped.
Geoff Knowles, defending, said Snook had been to prison twice before but had lived a “law abiding life” since then.
He said: “He is a lonely man and suffered abuse when he was much younger.
“Clearly, some issues in his past contributed to this state of affairs. He knows now he will face a custodial sentence for these matters.
“He is sorry, and sorry for the upset he has caused.”
Judge Stephen Earl jailed
Snook for four years and 11 months.
He was also put on the sex offender register for life and made subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.
He was also made subject to a restraining order.