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101-year-old British man guilty of child sex offences

A 101-year-old man, thought to be the oldest person convicted in British legal history, was today found guilty of historical child sex offences.

Jurors found Ralph Clarke from Erdington, Birmingham, guilty of 21 counts of abusing two girls in the 1970s and 80s.

He admitted nine charges relating to a young boy part-way through his trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Clarke told police he was “immune to feelings”, the court heard.

The former Royal Air Force serviceman, of Holly Lane, who was born in March 1915, sat impassively as the unanimous verdicts were delivered, the BBC reported.

Judge Richard Bond said he needed to “ponder with care” the sentence and added: “The reality is that he’s so old it’s unlikely he’ll be released back into the community.” 

He said the public would be “horrified” if Clarke was not sent to prison.

At the start of Clarke’s trial, prosecutor Miranda Moore said the defendant was arrested after two of his victims walked into a police station in August last year.

Detective Con Emma Fennon from West Midlands Police’s historical sexual offences team described the crimes as “horrific offences” and said Clarke showed no remorse.
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