A 76-year-old man, Peter Lazarides, the Lawrence Weston Paedophile, has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being convicted of many sexual offences against minors.
Peter Lazarides, a resident of Lawrence Weston, was convicted at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, May 22, and received a sentence of 10 years imprisonment on the same day.
The trial commenced on Monday, May 12, with Peter Lazarides confronting 20 charges. He was convicted on 16 charges perpetrated between 2017 and 2020 on four minors.
The charges comprised compelling a child to observe a sexual act, participating in sexual behaviour in the presence of a child, instigating a kid to partake in sexual activity, sexually abusing a child, and indecent exposure.
Peter Lazarides, during a three-year span, compelled children to see pornography, incited them to engage in sexual acts with him, and sexually molested them.
The acts were first recorded in January 2022, with further victims emerging in 2024 and 2025.
The victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shared the following statements about how Peter Lazarides’ crimes have impacted them:
One said: “The last few years of my life have been on hold, justice has been served but my life will never be the same. I’ve lost all trust in humans and that will follow me for the rest of my life.
“It wasn’t just me who was affected, this also happened to very venerable people and I always wonder whether I had spoken out sooner I could’ve stopped that from happening to them, that’s a guilt I will carry for the rest of my life.
“Peter Lazarides showed no remorse and smiled throughout the whole trial, even shouting verbal abuse at me as he was being sentence. But finally my voice has been heard, and I got justice so thank you to the jury and especially [one of the lead investigating officers] Lucy Jeffery who has been incredible throughout all of this.”
The second victim said: “Being in court the past couple of weeks has been really tough on me and the other victims. I am so proud of them and myself for speaking up in court to get justice for us all.
“This has affected my home and work life massively and I will never forgive Peter for making it tough to keep relationships alive with people I care about so much. He showed no remorse in court by smirking and laughing at us as well as making remarks at us at the sentencing.
“That will live with me forever, seeing him not seeming to care at all. I wish he could just admit all the disgusting things he did, but I know he never will.”
Another victim said: “It impacted me in a lot of ways. If someone touches me in a certain way it makes me uncomfortable, it makes me overthink, it makes me not trust anyone, it makes me more aggressive to new people.
“I always have a wall up until I fully gain someone’s trust. It has impacted my future relationships, because what if I am scared to open up to my partner. It is also something people can use against me.”
The fourth victim said: “I feel scared and nervous when I’m around people, mainly men, who I don’t know, especially when I’m not with anyone I don’t fully trust. For example, if I’m in a shop and a man walks past me and my friends, I will stand extra close to her or just worry on what might happen. I overthink everything when it comes to going out when it’s dark, are we going to be safe? Are we going to come back home safely? What could happen?”
Officers in the case, DC Lucy Jeffery and DC Laura Britton, said: “The strength of character the victims have shown cannot be put into words. They have demonstrated wisdom beyond their years, bravely supported one another through the trial and spoke out against Peter Lazarides.
“The crimes he committed against these children are disgusting and he has shown absolutely no remorse or regret for his actions. He has had a lasting and negative impact on their lives and, as some of our victims’ describe, he has cast a shadow over their childhood.
“I am glad we were able to seek justice for the victims and we hope this result will allow them to move forward.”
Victims of rape or sexual assault, recent or non-recent, can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre available 24/7 365 days a year. Visit their website at www.thebridgecanhelp.org.uk or call 0117 342 6999.
You can also visit www.thisisnotanexcuse.org for details of charities and organisations who are experts in supporting victims.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.