Paedophile social worker dies in prison serving 17 year sentence for historic sexual abuse

James Peter Gavin

A former Rochdale social worker who was serving a 17 year sentence for historic sexual abuse has died in prison.

Paedophile James Peter Gavin was less than two years into his sentence when he died at HMP Manchester on 4 February 2020, aged 83.

An independent report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, released in 2021, said Gavin had died of “old age with ischaemic heart disease, congestive heart failure and type 2 diabetes.”

The report said Gavin had arrived at HMP Manchester with several long-term health conditions and had signed a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order if his heart or breathing stopped.

Gavin was serving 17 years after being found guilty of five sexual offences on a boy during the 1970s.
 

Read more: Former Rochdale social worker sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment for historic sex offencesPublished: 29 June 2018

Gavin – who had access to his victim through his role as a social worker - sexually abused the young boy on a number of occasions, whilst 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 would get in trouble or that no one would believe him, but he bravely reported it to the police in 2015.

Gavin had also threatened him.

Following an investigation, Gavin was arrested and interviewed where he continued to deny the offences.

He was sentenced in June 2018.

Upon sentencing, police described Gavin as 'a twisted, manipulative predator' who sexually abused a young, vulnerable boy 'for his own sick sexual gratification, knowing the distress it would cause'.