Warwickshire pensioner jailed after sexually assaulting three girls over a decade
Philip Wood, 75, committed the offences between 1990 and 2000
Last updated 19th Oct 2021
A man has been jailed for 23 years after committing multiple non-recent sexual offences.
Philip Wood, formerly of Glenville Avenue, Atherstone, sexually assaulted three girls on numerous occasions over a ten year period between 1990 and 2000.
The incidents took place in locations including: Wood End, Atherstone, Hurley and Birmingham when the girls were aged between five and 12 years old.
In 2018 one of the victims came forward, which led to the 75-year-old being arrested by Warwickshire Police and after a complex three year investigation, he was subsequently charged with 34 offences in connection with the three victims.
Following an 11 day trial back in August, Wood was found guilty by a jury of:
• 28 counts of indecent assault of a girl under 14 years
• five counts of gross indecency with a child/girl under 14 years
The jury found him not guilty of one count of indecent assaulting a girl under the age of 14 in relation to an incident that took place in Birmingham in the early 1990s.
And at Warwick Crown Court on Friday (15 October), he was jailed for a total of 23 years (20 years imprisonment with a three year extended sentence).
He was also given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
Speaking after the trial, Investigating Officer Detective Constable Kevin Usher said: “No sentence will ever be able to take away the pain and suffering Wood has caused, but I hope this will provide some sense of comfort and bring closure to his victims.
“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this case, which has been a particularly lengthy and complex one, for their hard work and commitment, but above all, I would like to pay tribute to the victims for coming forward.
“They have demonstrated immense bravery in disclosing what happened to them and thankfully Wood is now behind bars paying the price for his reprehensible crimes committed against young girls.
"I hope this case reassures anyone who may have been a victim of sexual abuse, either non-recent or current, that Warwickshire Police is committed to providing help and support to victims and bringing offenders to justice.
“We will always thoroughly investigate no matter when the abuse took place - there is help and support out there so please don't suffer in silence.”