Man jailed for abusing girls over four decades

An 82-year-old man has been jailed for 18 years for a series of historical sexual offences against four young girls.

Herning Thompson, of Victoria Street, Skipton, carried out the offences between 1981 and 2020, when the victims were aged between five and 12, Leeds Crown Court heard.

"Although many years have passed, the trauma of what happened has never left me," one of the victims said in an impact statement.

Det Con Nicky Wareham from North Yorkshire Police paid tribute to the "strength" of the victims, which he said "has ensured that a dangerous and predatory individual has finally been held to account and is now exactly where he belongs".

Following a trial in March, Thompson was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16, four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration with a part of the body or an object and two counts of attempted rape of a girl under 13.

Thompson, who was sentenced on Wednesday, was ordered to serve an 18-year jail term, with an extended licence period of 12 months on release.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life.

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