Diane Wade 47

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A perverted and "sexually motivated" woman who was "obsessed" with the private parts of young boys has finally been jailed after long delays of more than a year.

Calculating and manipulative Diane Wade targeted five different boys aged between seven and 17 while she "masqueraded" as someone who was interested in just horseplay. There were 14 different incidents of "masochistic" sexual abuse over an eight-year period, Hull Crown Court heard.

Wade, 45, of New Burlington Road, Bridlington, was convicted by a jury of three offences of sexual activity with a boy under 16, one of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 and three of sexually assaulting a male. She denied the offences, which took place between December 2010 and December 2018.

Wade had been convicted after a trial as long ago as March 2, last year but sentence had been repeatedly adjourned for more than a year after various problems arose.

Judge John Thackray QC told Wade: "Your offending followed a familiar pattern. You were obsessed with male genitalia. Your offending was sexually motivated, with a masochistic element."

Wade "masqueraded" over the years as someone who was merely getting involved in harmless horseplay. "It most certainly was not," said Judge Thackray.

There were five victims aged between seven and 17 and the sexual behaviour spanned a period of eight years. Some of the charges involved multiple incidents.

"There were 14 separate incidents of sexual abuse," said Judge Thackray. Some of the incidents involved "shades of an abuse of trust" or grooming and there was a "significant disparity in age" between the boys and Wade. One of the victims was allowed to drink alcohol as part of the behaviour leading up to the offending.

One of the boys was homeless and struggling with drug addiction at the time of the abuse. "Not only did you cause, on occasions, immense physical pain but you have left the victims with worries over their fertility and very significant trust issues," said Judge Thackray.

Wade had suffered a very difficult background that had "rightly been described as wretched".

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that Wade had no previous convictions and the fact that she was in custody at New Hall Prison, near Wakefield, during the pandemic had a "significant impact" on her. "She has been on remand throughout the entirety of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Miss Baines.

"She had a very difficult start in life and was subjected to physical violence at the hands of her father."

Wade became pregnant during her "formative teenage years" and had a "lamentable start in life" that had caused problems. "Intellectually, she is not the most sophisticated," said Miss Baines.

"She was assaulted very recently in prison. Others were made aware of who she was in custody, which makes her a particularly vulnerable prisoner. She has had a wretched life."

Wade was jailed for five years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. She will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Wade had been cleared by the jury of four offences and a not guilty verdict was entered on another charge on the direction of the judge.