Locations
Barnsley Road, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9
Description
“I was a teenager who was just finding her place in this world, looking for care, love and acceptance, all of which were sadly lacking in my reality. You took this need and my naivety and warped it and used it to satisfy your paedophilic needs.
“You took so much from me, that wasn’t yours to take.
“You preyed on my weaknesses and vulnerability to feed your twisted and perverse desires. What was taken can never be given back, what was endured can never be forgotten.
“For years I repressed my pain and shame, but it was always there. It was there in my intimate relationships; it was there in my lack of self-worth and self-esteem."
These are the words taken from the Victim Personal Statement of a woman who was abused by South Kirkby man Alan Ward when she was a teenage girl.
Ward was jailed today (7 July) for a number sexual offences which took place in the 1980s and 1990s in South Kirkby.
He was aged in his 30s when he started a sexual relationship with the victim who was 14 at the time. The relationship continued until she was in her late teens.
During her early teens, the court was told how Ward, who worked at a petrol station on Barnsley Road in South Kirkby, would sexually assault the girl.
During the first incident, Ward told the victim:
“I’m getting you ready for when you’re sixteen.”
The victim came forward to report Ward in 2020. This prompted an investigation by the Wakefield District Safeguarding Unit which led to Ward, who more recently worked as an ice cream man, being charged with non-recent sexual offences.
Ward denied the allegations made against him. But after a trial at Leeds Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of indecently assaulting a girl under 16 which took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was also found guilty of a further sex offence (buggery) which took place over the same period.
Appearing before Leeds Crown Court for sentencing today, Ward, aged 71, of Barnsley Road, South Kirkby, was given a concurrent jail sentence of 13 years.
DC Anna Potton of the Wakefield District Safeguarding Unit said:
“The victim has shown immense bravery in coming forward and going through a lengthy legal process in which she had to relive her ordeal by giving evidence against her abuser.
“Ward is behind bars where he cannot pose a threat to any other children. I hope that his conviction and sentence brings the victim some comfort as she begins to move on with her life.”
“West Yorkshire Police has dedicated safeguarding units across each district of the force. We are here to listen when you are ready and we will investigate what is reported to us.
“If you’ve been the victim of rape, sexual assault or any other sexual offence, please report it to us. It's never too late."