Man jailed after abusing six boys

Man jailed after abusing six boys

12 October 2016

A DOWNPATRICK man who sexually abused six children has been jailed for five years.

John Sharvin (28), of Fountain Court, carried out a total of 21 offences against young boys over a period of nine years.

Some of Sharvin’s victims were in the public gallery as he was sentenced at Downpatrick Crown Court on Friday.

Sharvin stood impassively in the dock as Judge Piers Grant told him that what he did had a “significant effect” on his victims.

He said the children were “six young individuals who were abused over a period of years.”

The judge referred to a pre-sentence report which said Sharvin presented a “high risk of further offending.”

Sharvin admitted five counts of gross of indecency with or towards a child, one count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and 15 charges of indecent assault.

He had initially denied the charges, but pleaded guilty when he appeared in court last month.

Most of the offending occurred between 2003 and 2006 when Sharvin was a teenager and his victims were aged between six and 12 years. His last offence occurred when he was 22.

The attacks occurred in isolated areas where Sharvin would often interrupt groups of children at play and abuse them under the guise of playing games such as “mummies and daddies” and “hide and seek.”

The abuse ranged from inappropriate touching over clothes to more serious sexual assaults.

Some of the victims pushed the defendant away, asking him what he was doing, while others were more intimidated.

One boy who was regularly abused was warned by Sharvin not to tell anyone and was told that it was their secret.

Another boy was told: “Don’t take it the wrong way. Do not tell anyone else.”

Another was warned: “You had better not tell anyone or bad things will happen to you or your family.”

Another boy felt ashamed at being abused.

Judge Grant said there were a number of “aggravating factors” in the case, including the significant age disparity between Sharvin and the children, and the frequency of the offending which took place over a lengthy period.

He said the fact that the victims had been isolated and then abused “required a significant degree” of planning and grooming.

“It is quite clear that you took steps to prevent these matters being disclosed,” Judge Grant continued.

The judge said three of the children continued to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. “Fortunately that is not at a high level. Nevertheless, what you did to them had a significant effect on these children.”

The judge said he took into account Sharvin’s guilty plea, “albeit at a late stage”, which meant the injured parties did not have to give evidence at a trial, as well as Sharvin’s age at the time of the offending and his “lack of intellect and maturity.”

However, he said Sharvin “fully understood what he was doing, particularly in later offending.”

The judge told Sharvin that, in the light of the assessment contained in the pre-sentence report, “I take the view that you are someone from whom the public needs protection.”

In addition to the jail sentence, Sharvin was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.