'Violent' child molester spared jail for historic crimes is driven out of Southsea after criminal backlash on home
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Claire Roche, 37, has been forced to uproot from Southsea to a ‘safe address’ near Southampton after coming under fire in the community following the News coverage of her crimes.
The child abuser was let off jail and instead given a two-year jail term suspended for two years for the historic offences against two children who still bear the mental scars from her torture all those years ago.
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Hide AdThe predator had lived in Elm Grove but moved away after her home was burgled twice and graffitied.
Roche had denied performing sexual acts on the children who were also ‘forced’ to carry out ‘disgusting’ sex acts on her after fearing violence but was found guilty by jurors on February 2 following a trial.
The mum was found guilty of all five charges, including three of indecent assault of a child and two charges of indecency with a child.
During her sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court on Wednesday, Recorder Simon Levene, allowed Roche to keep her liberty despite admitting the victims had ‘suffered serious psychological harm’.
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Hide AdHe told the child abuser she had ‘controlled and bullied’ the victims who had ‘all trust taken away’ following her actions.
But the Recorder said Roche was a juvenile when the offences were carried out ‘long ago’.
Recorder Levene said: ‘I suspend the sentence because I accept you suffered psychological harm (when you were a child) and this played a part in your offending behaviour, which you still won’t accept.
‘You also have a young child who you are the sole carer of, who is unwell with a medical condition.’
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Hide AdHe admitted some people might not understand his decision. ‘The victims will think you should be locked up for a very long time and so will lots of people,’ he said.
During the hearing, Roche’s defence barrister Francisca Da Costa told the court of the ‘impact’ the trial’s publicity had had on the defendant. She said: ‘The family home has been burgled twice and graffiti left on her home.
‘She has been forced to move away to a safe address.’
It has now been officially confirmed that Roche is living in Holbury in the New Forest.
The barrister told the court Roche had suffered a ‘sad and tragic’ past.
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Hide Ad‘She has taken steps to improve herself and has come an awful long way from where she started (in her childhood),’ Ms Da Costa said.
Roche, looking back on her offending, said: ‘I’m shocked, I’m a completely different person now.’
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Roche was also handed 240 hours of unpaid work and given 30 rehabilitation days.
She will also have to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and was given a restraining order for five years.
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Hide AdA police spokeswoman said: ‘We would encourage anyone who has been the victim or witness of burglary or criminal damage to report it to us via 101 or via our online reporting tool.’
Go to: www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron