In a shocking case that horrified the family of an elderly widow, Andy Newman, a 48-year-old former neighbour turned carer, was exposed for sexually abusing the 86-year-old dementia sufferer. The incident came to light in December 2015 when the victim's granddaughter installed a motion-sensor CCTV camera in the woman's flat, initially suspecting Newman of stealing food and money. Instead, the footage captured Newman performing a series of sex acts on the vulnerable woman, who was unable to consent due to her severe dementia.
The family, based in Swindon, had grown concerned about missing items from the flat. The granddaughter received an alert on her iPhone and was stunned by what she saw. 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was wondering if I was seeing things. I wasn't expecting that,' she told the Swindon Advertiser. 'I couldn't sleep for three days after that, I had to go to the doctors. I was mortified.' Her uncle echoed the family's disbelief: 'We didn't really like the bloke but we didn't think anything like that was going on. We thought he was stealing, but not that. No one has ever really liked him but my mum did and he was good at talking to her. She wouldn't hear a word against him. He was very charming to her.'
Philip Warren, prosecuting at Swindon Crown Court, detailed how Newman had begun assisting the widow with domestic chores, including washing her hair, after she was widowed in 2004. The covert camera, set up to monitor theft, instead revealed the abuse on 21 December 2015. Upon arrest on suspicion of rape, Newman denied wrongdoing, telling police, 'I have done nothing wrong' and 'I am her carer.' In his statement, he claimed the allegations were false due to her dementia, which prosecutors highlighted as evidence of his awareness of her vulnerability. A search of his computer uncovered a vast amount of 'granny porn,' indecent images of children, and material involving bestiality.
Newman, residing on Swindon Road in Stratton St Margaret, admitted to sexual activity with a person with a mental impairment impeding choice, possession of indecent images of a child, and extreme pornography. He claimed a prior sexual relationship with the woman around six years earlier, a assertion dismissed by the family. Defending barrister Gareth James noted, 'He is clearly a man who has some sort of predilection towards older women,' and mentioned Newman's overdose attempt before an earlier hearing, acknowledging the impending lengthy jail term.
Sentencing Newman to ten and a half years in prison, Judge Tim Mousley QC condemned the acts as 'completely disgraceful.' He stated: 'She was unable to make an informed decision and that must have been as blindingly obvious to you as it was to everyone else. I accept it was not your intention that anyone else should see what was going on but the fact is her grandchildren, at least, saw what was going on by seeing it on the camera. The effect on them as well as the effect on the victim is profound and long lasting. That I regard as a particular feature of this which adds to your culpability.' In addition to the custodial sentence, Newman was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, barred from working with children or vulnerable adults, and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order.
The case, reported by the Swindon Advertiser in collaboration with USA Today, underscores the profound betrayal of trust by a carer exploiting a vulnerable individual, leaving lasting trauma on the victim's family.