Former Wrexham Bryn Alyn resident jailed for historic sexual abuse of boy

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A man who carried out a serious sexual assault on a teenage boy at a notorious care home more than 40 years ago has been jailed.

Graham Joseph Stridgeon, who now calls himself Tony Gordon, admitted at an earlier hearing to three counts of historic sexual assaults at the Bryn Alyn Hall children’s home near Wrexham where he was a resident.

Judge Rhys Rowlands sitting at Mold Crown Court today said Stridgeon had "got away with committing these offences for many years" and despite him having learning difficulties would have known the harm he was causing to his victim.

The 64-year-old was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for serious sexual assault, while two other sexual assaults were left on record.

Stridgeon, of Park Avenue, Fleetwood, Lancashire, was also told he would be placed on the sexual offenders register for life.

Judge Rowlands said: "Your victim was in care and away from his family. At Bryn Alyn he was very plainly a vulnerable individual. What you did was very, very serious. It involved penetration.

"It was behaviour that was repeated over a considerable period of time. Your victim describes it as having a serious effect on his life. It's affected his relationships with others. I do take the view there's serious psychological harm here."

It emerged Stridgeon had been jailed for sexual offences in the 70s and 80s, then received a nine-year sentence for rape in 1991.

Judge Rowlands added: "You were someone who wanted to take advantage of others sexually. You would have known it was very, very wrong to treat people in that way."

Stridgeon, who was 18 or 19 years old at the time of the offences, had originally pleaded not guilty to eight historic sexual assaults on young boys at the Bryn Alyn Hall children’s home near Wrexham but changed his plea last month and admitted to three counts before his trial was due to start.

He was arrested and charged following an investigation by the National Crime Agency’s Operation Pallial, which has been investigating allegations of abuse within the North Wales care system.

Speaking after the case National Crime Agency investigating officer Andy Sandham said: "Stridgeon picked on boys who were younger and more vulnerable, pretending he was going to help them.

"The victim has been incredibly brave coming forward all these years later and retelling the abuse he was subjected to.

"Stridgeon probably thought he’d got away with his crimes, but he, and others who committed crimes against children all those years ago, have been brought to justice and I hope their victims can take some comfort in that."

Stridgeon is the twelfth person to be prosecuted under Operation Pallial, with four more trials planned.

An NSPCC Cymru spokesman said: "Abuse ruins lives and although many years have passed, we hope that Stridgeon’s imprisonment now provides some comfort to the survivor and shows that no stone will go unturned when it comes to investigating past crimes against children.