Chesterfield sex pest's '˜lenient' jail sentence upped

A Chesterfield sex offender who preyed on two teenage girls decades ago has had his '˜too soft' jail term upped by senior judges.
Grenville GascoyneGrenville Gascoyne
Grenville Gascoyne

Grenville Gascoyne, aged 64, of Old Hall Road, was jailed for four years and four months at Derby Crown Court on April 19.

But the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC, referred his sentence to London’s Appeal Court, arguing it should have been far longer.

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Gascoyne had admitted six counts of indecent assault against two teenage girls, in the 1970s and 1980s, the court heard.

The first victim was 16 or 17 when he approached her from behind and grabbed her.

The remaining crimes were against the second girl, who was aged in her early-teens.

Gascoyne got her to climb a step-ladder before putting his hand up her skirt and touching her leg. He also molested her.

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In the years since his crimes, Gascoyne has lived a life ‘without blemish’ and had a ‘good work record’, said Lord Justice Treacy.

But his first victim had been left emotionally scarred, whilst his second needed counselling and said her life had been ‘profoundly affected’.

Paul Jarvis, for the Attorney General, described Gascoyne’s crimes as ‘very, very serious’.

“They certainly merited a just and proportionate sentence significantly above the sentence arrived upon by the judge’, he added.

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Leonard Smith QC, representing Gascoyne, conceded the jail term was lenient but argued that it should not be increased.

“The sentence imposed was unduly lenient,” ruled Lord Justice Treacy, who was sitting with Mrs Justice May and Judge Martyn Zeidman QC.

“The overall sentence on this offender is now increased from a term of four years and four months to one of six years and two months.”

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