Keith Shaw

At Bradford Crown Court, Keith Shaw, an 83-year-old pensioner residing in Heights Lane, Daisy Hill, faced sentencing for a disturbing incident involving a young girl. Shaw had previously pleaded guilty to the offence of inciting an underage girl to engage in sexual activity, a charge that stemmed from his inappropriate and explicit request directed at the child.

The court heard details of the incident where Shaw showed the girl magnetic letters arranged to spell out the vulgar word 'c***' and inquired if she knew its meaning. Upon her response of 'no', Shaw pointed at her vagina and explicitly asked her to 'show me it'. Thankfully, the girl refused the request, as noted by Recorder Ian Mullarkey during the proceedings on Thursday afternoon.

A statement from the girl's family, read in court, highlighted the profound trauma inflicted upon the child. It described how she still experiences nightmares and cries herself to sleep, with the family expressing deep resentment: 'I hate you for what you have done to my little girl'. They further stated that they would 'never be able to move on' from the incident, underscoring the lasting impact on their lives.

In mitigation, Shaw's defence emphasised his ill health, including a previous heart attack, vertigo, hearing difficulties, and mobility issues. Described as being of previous good character with no prior criminal history, Shaw expressed remorse, apologising to both the victim and her family. His legal team characterised the event as a 'moment of madness' and 'totally out of character'. However, Recorder Mullarkey rejected Shaw's initial downplaying of the incident's seriousness and his denial of any sexual motivation, affirming that it had caused a 'profound and lasting impact' on the young girl and her family.

Shaw was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. The case was reported by The Telegraph & Argus, with coverage by digital editor Rowan Newman.