‘High risk’ Norfolk sex offender jailed for young girl abuse
Grenville Blower, 66, had denied abusing three pre-teen and teenage girls in the 1970s, 1990s and between 2017 and 2021. Sentencing him to an extended 14-year sentence at Norwich Crown Court[1], Judge Katharine Moore said: "I regard you as a dangerous offender with a pattern of persistent and repeated behaviour. "Plainly you are sexually attracted to pre-pubescent and young pubescent girls."
Blower, of Lexham Road in Litcham, near Dereham, was convicted of 10 counts of indecent assault. He abused the first victim on "multiple occasions" some when she was aged under 13 and he was 15 but others when he was aged over 18. Philip Farr, prosecuting, said it was "repeated and persistent" activity which happened on "several occasions".
Norwich Crown Court was told Blower had a 'undimmed' sexual interest in young girls (Image: Newsquest) His second victim was also assaulted multiple times in the 1990s when he touched her while she was just 14. The third victim was aged between six and 11 when she was abused by the defendant when he was aged in his 60s
One of the victims read out a statement stating she has "cried myself to sleep thinking about what he has done to me". She said any time she thinks about what happened it "makes me upset" adding that ever since it happened she has been "scared of old men" not knowing whether they wanted to do the same things to her. Another victim said he had tried to "bury so, so deep" what he had done to her as she "didn't think anyone would believe me" but had been in "utter turmoil" as a result of what the "monster" did to her.
She said the "horrific events" she had been through as a result of this "devastating ordeal" would never leave her. Another of the victims said she had "kept this to myself" for decades and wished she had the courage to have come forward sooner. Judge Katharine Moore said Blower was deemed high risk and in denial (Image: Newsquest)
Judge Katharine Moore said a probation report had described Blower as "high risk" and "in denial" about his offending. She said the passage of time "makes it difficult now to assess your maturity" when he began offending in the 1970s aged 15 but from age 18 he was "highly culpable". Making him subject to a 20-year sexual harm prevention order, she said it was clear his "sexual interest in young girls remains undimmed".
Stephen Mather, for Blower, said he is a "simple man" who is "not in the best of health" and was experiencing prison for the first time.
He added that he knew he needed to be punished but insisted these matters were the "only offending" he had committed.
He will serve nine years in prison and five years on licence and will be subject to sexual offending notification requirements indefinitely.
References
- ^ Norwich Crown Court (www.edp24.co.uk)