Father And Son Jailed Over Sex Abuse
The attacks were carried out on 10 girls aged between six and 15, in the 80s and 90s
A father and son who sexually abused young children at their home in Darwen have been jailed.
Peter Yates, 67, of Birch Hall Avenue, Darwen was today (Thursday, June 9) sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of 36 child sex offences following a seven week trial at Preston Crown Court. His son, Shaun Yates, 44, of Lea Hall Road, Birmingham was sentenced to eight years imprisonment after he was convicted of two counts of rape.
Peter Yates was arrested in March 2015 following an investigation into a series of historic sex offences against two girls aged six and seven. As the inquiry progressed a total of ten victims were identified, all of whom were girls aged between six and 15 when they were abused.
It was established that Yates used his former wife’s position as a child minder to groom and abuse his victims at their Darwen home throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His son Shaun Yates was arrested when it emerged that he had also committed sexual offences against a further victim, a girl aged 12.
DC Nicola Mullins from the Public Protection Unit at East Division said: “Peter Yates has today been sentenced accordingly for the horrific abuse he subjected his victims to. He took advantage of these young girls in the worst possible way and committed these despicable offences over a sustained period of time.
“The fact that his son, Shaun Yates, also took advantage of his victim in the same way makes this case even more shocking and it shows their complete disregard for their young victims.
“The outcome at court today is the result of a long and complex investigation and it is testament to all the officers who worked so tirelessly on this case to bring both of these men to justice. We are determined to tackle perpetrators of child sex abuse and would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to come forward and it report to us.
“Tragically, one of Peter Yates’ victims died during the investigation so she never got to see him being brought to justice. My thoughts remain with her family and I hope today’s result provides the rest of his victims with some sort of closure and enables them to move forward with their lives in the knowledge that both men face a significant period of time in prison.”