A former Rochdale social worker who sexually abused a young boy during the 1970s has been jailed.
James Peter Gavin aged 82of College Bank Way, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday
He was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 and one count of attempted buggery on a child under 16
The court heard how throughout the 1970s Gavin – who had access to the boy through his role as a social worker – sexually abused him on a number occasions.
This abuse took place while the boy stayed at foster homes as well as the former Foxholes Children’s Home in Rochdale.
Gavin would often drive the victim to a location where he would sexually assault him.
The boy never told his carers at the time out of fear he’d get in trouble or that no one would believe him. Gavin also threatened him.
He bravely reported it to police in 2015. Following an investigation, Gavin was arrested and interviewed where he continued to deny the offences.
PC Karen Bancroft, from GMP’s Rochdale borough, said: “Gavin preyed on a vulnerable boy who should have been cared for and supported during an unsettling time in his life.
“Instead, for his own sick sexual gratification, he sexually abused him knowing the distress it would cause.
“Not once did he care about the emotional damage he was inflicting on an innocent child who has had to carry this pain with him his entire life.
“Gavin is a twisted, manipulative predator and thanks to the courage of the victim, his patience and his strength, he is now where he belongs.”
