'Violent' Southsea child molester Claire Roche avoids jail after inflicting pain and fear on victims

Claire Roche, 37, of Elm Grove, Southsea, was instead given a two-year jail term suspended for two years for the historic child abuse offences.

The predator 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 following a trial earlier this year.

The mum was found guilty of five charges, including three of indecent assault of a child and two charges of indecency with a child.

Today Roche was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court for her crimes but judge, Recorder Simon Levene, allowed Roche to keep her liberty despite admitting the two victims ‘suffered serious psychological harm’.

He 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.’

Recorder Levene also said he had taken note of a probation report which highlighted potential for Roche to ‘be helped’ in the community that would not be possible if she was sent to prison.

But the judge accepted some people will find it hard to understand his decision.

He said: ‘The victims will think you should be locked up for a very long time and so will lots of people.’

But he added: ‘Victims are usually not satisfied with sentences because they think once a defendant walks out (of court) that’s the end of it.’

He admitted the victims will have to live with the ‘strain’ of what happened for the ‘rest of their lives’.

Roche was also convicted for a previous offence of assault on one of her children in 2007 who was taken away from her care. She was given a suspended sentence for that offence and had not reoffended since, the court was told.

The court heard how Roche had sought to disguise her abuse by making up a fantasy story where she claimed she ‘rubbed’ her genitals over clothing against her victims when she was a teenager to offer an explanation for the accusations.

Roche’s actions had left the now grown up complainants with painful scars before they finally felt strong enough to come forward and reveal to police the depravity they were subjected to.

One victim said if she ‘did not do what (Roche) wanted’ she would ‘violently beat’ her.

The victim said: ‘She would lie on top of me and perform sexual acts. It was uncomfortable and I remember feeling pain.’

The woman said how Roche would also ‘rub up’ against her and perform sex acts. ‘I thought it was normal,’ she said. ‘(I) did not know any different.’

She added: ‘It was disgusting and I remember crying. It was not very nice.’

Roche then forced the child into ‘unthinkable’ acts by telling her to return the favour: ‘Now you can do it to me.’

The female victim added: ‘My childhood was ripped away by your actions. I can’t help but think about what happened.’

The second victim revealed how Roche would undress herself in front of him before forcing the petrified boy me to perform [sex acts]. ‘It felt wrong. It was a scary experience,’ the now adult man said.

‘It stripped away any innocence I had and made me feel trapped.’

On one occasion after he had been ‘grabbed’ and forced to perform [a sex act], the complainant said Roche ‘punched him constantly in the back’ before she grabbed a knife as he hid.

Roche also tried to entice the young boy into sex after ‘putting her hand down my trousers’.

But due to his age ‘nothing happened’ before she forced him to perform a sex act on her instead.

He described fearing violence and feeling ‘trapped’ and said the experiences were ‘horrible’.

The man admitted he ‘hates’ her for what happened.

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During the sentencing hearing, 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.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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