Man sentenced for historic sexual abuse

John Wright

A man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the historic sexual abuse of three boys in Rochdale.

John Wright (born 16/01/1949), of Hornets Close, Rochdale has been sentenced at Bolton Crown Court to 18 years imprisonment. He has been ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

He was found guilty following a four week trial.

From 1997 to 2009 Wright befriend three boys, these boys were aged between 12 and 16 years-old.

He would systematically abuse them and would buy them things, for example, cars, motorbikes and supplied them with cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis.

Detective Constable Julianna Barker, from the Public Protection Division, said: "Wright preyed on vulnerable young boys, they thought he was helping them, but instead took advance of their situation to sexually abuse them.

"These men have been incredibly brave by helping us put Wright before the courts and have justice done for them.

“He will now spend a very long time in prison where he belongs and I hope this sentence may be of some small comfort to his victims.

"We take all reports of sexual abuse seriously no matter how old you are or how long ago the crime happened and this should give others the confidence to come forward."

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. GMP has specially trained officers in place to provide a first class response to victims and help support them through the criminal justice process.

St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, can also be contacted on 0161 276 6515. This provides a comprehensive and coordinated forensic, counselling and medical aftercare service to anyone in Greater Manchester who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and people can access them either as a self-referral or via Greater Manchester Police.