'Predatory' sex pest has jail term slashed
A paedophile dubbed a "dangerous predatory sex offender" has had his nine-year prison sentence for abducting two Midland girls slashed by top judges.
A paedophile dubbed a "dangerous predatory sex offender" has had his nine-year prison sentence for abducting two Midland girls slashed by top judges.
Stephen Williams, aged 56, who has convictions for sex offences dating back to the 1960s, had been released from prison just weeks before targeting his most recent victims. The paedophile offered to buy the youngsters, aged eight and nine, sweets after stopping them in a Coventry, where he had travelled to from the hostel he had been living in in Bilston's Wellington Road.
Police pounced on him and in December last year, he was jailed for nine years by Judge Peter Salomonsen who praised officers for monitoring him after his release. The judge told Williams he was "a dangerous predatory sex offender".
While in prison Williams kept a secret diary in which he described young visitors to the jail after watching them arrive and noting physical features such as hair colour, weight and build.
But yesterday at London's Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Irwin and Mr Justice Wyn Williams ruled that nine years was too long a sentence and slashed it to six years and eight months.
His lawyers argued Judge Salomonsen had set his starting point too high when deciding the sentence.
Mr Justice Irwin said: "In our view, the facts do justify, not a starting point of the maximum sentence, but a very high starting point.
"Relentless re-offending must be regarded as a very serious aspect to be taken into account by the courts.
"Here, the previous convictions aggravated the current offences to a very high degree, indeed.
"Further, a well-established and unarguable risk of serious future offending with a risk of serious harm to the public has always been a factor to be borne in mind in sentencing.
"These factors, however, even together, do not properly carry the court to a starting point of the full maximum possible sentence."
Although Williams did not snatch the girls, he said hello to the girls before inviting them to follow him to a local sweet shop where he paid for drinks and sweets.
The trio left, but the court heard the girls believed policemen in a car nearby were watching. Williams, who has convictions for attempted rape and indecent assault, was arrested nearby.
* West Midlands Police refused to issue a picture of Stephen Williams to the Express & Star when he was convicted in December.
The force generally agrees to issue photographs if it is believed the crime is serious enough and it is in the public interest.
In each case it carries out a risk assessment on sentence before deciding if the photograph should be released.
With Williams, the police press office at the force's Lloyd House in Birmingham refused to release the photograph.
It is believed the decision was taken because of concerns that he may go underground on his release, making it difficult for authorities to track his movements and ensure he does not pose a danger in the future.
The West Midlands Police press office dismissed an argument made by the Express & Star that it was in the public's interest for Williams to be identified.
