Mentally ill Tetbury sex offender escapes sentence (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Mentally ill Tetbury sex offender Keith Wild escapes sentence

4:38pm Thursday 20th December 2012 in News By Ian Craig

A SEX offender from Tetbury will not be punished for his crime as he is mentally unfit to stand trial, a judge has ruled.

Keith Wild, 72, of Romney Road, was found guilty in July of twice molesting a 21-year-old shop assistant in Tetbury.

However, as he had been found to be unfit to stand trial, the jury’s decision did not count as a conviction.

He was bailed to see if social services, mental health workers or the probation service could develop a suitable package of supervision or treatment.

However, probation officer Patrick Tracey told Judge Jamie Tabor QC at Gloucester Crown Court today that Wild’s condition was not considered treatable.

“The case is quite a puzzle,” he said.

“The social workers do not feel he requires any supervision at all.”

He added the court had the option to impose a supervision order, a hospital order, or to grant Wild an absolute discharge.

“It is not a case for the probation service because he has no capacity for change,” he said. “It is really the sort of case where someone should just be keeping a watchful eye on him.”

The court heard that Wild regularly visited the shop where the young woman worked and on August 16 2011 had allegedly grabbed her hand and placed it on his trousers over his crotch before putting his hand on her breast.

He had then committed a similar assault on her the next day and the woman had complained to her manager.

When he was arrested Wild denied the allegations although he did admit putting his hand on the woman's shoulder.

Hassan Baig, defending, told Judge Tabor Wild – who did not attend the trial – had not re-offended since the two incidents and that his family were keeping a close eye on him.

The judge said, although the offence was distressing for the victim, it was “not the most serious sexual assault there ever was” and that he was faced with little choice but to grant him an absolute discharge.