Bury man who claimed he sexually abused a child in his sleep is jailed
Peter Wright claimed he was suffering from a sleep disorder
A man who sexually assaulted a child in Bury claimed he did it as a result of a sleep disorder.
Peter Wright from Radcliffe has now been sentenced to 15 years behind bars for seven counts of sexual offences against a child, after being found guilty following a week-long trial in April 2024.
The 53-year-old will serve 10 years of the sentence as a minimum before being considered for any early release and will receive an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The offence took place in November 2020 in the early hours of the morning by Wright who was perceived to be in a position of trust.
The Police were immediately called which allowed Officers to act quickly and obtain an account from the victim and seize the appropriate clothing at the scene. Wright was quickly arrested that morning in Radcliffe on suspicion of sexual assault of a child.
Wright gave a defence in court that he fully admitted to committing the sexual offences but was asleep at the time and suffering from a disorder whereby he does things in his sleep, therefore, could not remember what had happened. This was not accepted by the prosecution.
Forensic examination of Wright’s phone took place, which resulted in content being recovered supporting the prosecution case and identifying further evidence.
Wright was further arrested in December 2021 on suspicion of possessing indecent images and an additional sexual assault incident. He was later charged in February 2022 with a number of sexual offences.
Detective Constable Nathan Lilley from Bury CID said:
“I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case. The emotions they have had to go through along with their close family has been highly distressing and only heightened and prolonged due to Wright’s refusal to accept what he did.
"We have made sure justice has been served in tackling these types of terrible offences. This is a stark reminder to everyone across Greater Manchester, and not just Bury, we are focussed more than ever to tackle this type of crime and to ensure victims feel they can be listened to and trusted.”