Jailed, sick pervert who drugged and raped youngsters
A MONSTROUS paedophile who drugged, raped and abused two children has been locked up for nearly three decades.
Evil George Thorley, 74, targeted seven children in his sick campaign. He already had previous convictions for similar offences, including one against a four-year-old girl, when he was found guilty of 25 counts of indecent assault, gross indecency with a child under the age of 14, rape of a child under 16, two counts of buggery with a boy under 16 and two counts of attempted indecency with a child earlier this year.
The catalogue of the sick charges came after a number of victims came forward about the abuse, which took place in the 1980s and 1990s. For some, it was not the first time, with one victim – now an adult – reporting him soon after, but proceedings were not put against him.
Yesterday, Leeds Crown Court heard victim impact statements from those who had survived Thorley’s abuse, with one woman saying she had tried to take her own life four times as a result.
The boy who had been drugged and raped by Thorley, of Fox Street in Moorbottom, told he had hopes to become a pilot before he was thrown into his sickening path.
One victim said: “I have made four attempts to take my own life. Knowing I’m not the only person who went through this, I felt partly responsible for not protecting others. It was only when I started accessing counselling that I realised that the only person to blame is the person who hurt us. I don’t think any counselling will bring me back to the person I was.”
Another victim told the court: “I was eight or nine years old when George made the conscious decision to try and manipulate me into a situation that would affect me for the rest of my life. I kept it a secret for years because he convinced me I would be in trouble... He didn’t care about breaking the law, how his actions or the weight of the secret would affect me.”
Another victim said she was not believed when she first reported the abuse committed against her by Thorley. She said: “For many years I have suffered with night terrors, terrified, seeing shadows of a man in my bedroom coming to get me. I would shout out in the middle of the night. I have even ripped a mirror off the wall as I could see someone coming to get me and in my state of terror I didn’t realise it was just me in the mirror...”
Mitigating, Lydia Pearce, noted Thorley’s age as she addressed His Honour Judge Khokhar.
The judge told the court part of Thorley’s offending included abusing a brother and sister in the same room after drugging them.
He said: “I have been on the bench for nearly 18 years and during this period I have seen many sex offenders, but never one who has been so prolific in their offending against children.”
The judge, who jailed Thorley for 27 years, said he applauded and appreciated the victims’ bravery in coming forward to give their evidence to a jury.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Paul Greatorex of the Kirklees Non Recent Child Sexual Abuse Team, added: “George Thorley without doubt poses a genuine danger to children and has been brought to justice following a highly complex investigation involving three police forces.”