The Church Paedophile, Stephen Tate, has been incarcerated for participating in sexual conduct with an individual possessing a mental illness that hinders decision-making.
The event occurred in the sauna at Hyndburn Leisure Centre in Accrington on January 16, 2022.
Stephen Tate, 69, confronted his victim and unexpectedly executed a sexual act on him.
The victim, aged 19 and with significant learning disabilities, did not consent to that occurrence.
He informed his father of the incident, who had arrived to retrieve him and indicated Stephen Tate to him.
The victim’s father instructed Tate to wait; nevertheless, he disregarded the request, entered his black BMW, and departed.
The victim’s father recorded the vehicle registration number and notified the police.
Stephen Tate, of Gordon Street, Church, was arrested and later charged with engaging in Sexual Activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice. He was found guilty following a trial at Preston Crown Court in December last year
Stephen Tate returned to the same court today (29th April) where he was jailed for six years. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and was barred from working with children and vulnerable people. Stephen Tate was also made subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which bans him from entering any public sauna, steam room or solarium
In an impact statement to the court, the victim’s dad said: “Our son’s disability has delayed and severely suffered his recovery from this incident. We do not know how long this will take but the mental scars will stay with him for life. We cannot explain how this has truly impacted his mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem but this incident has certainly taken away his limited enjoyment in his life.
“As parents, this one incident has damaged our vision and dreams of how we wanted our son to live his life, given his disabilities. He has been robbed of any opportunity to go to professional counselling as we think he feels ashamed or is too scared to communicate with new people.”
DC Vicky Heys said: “This was a despicable offence committed against a vulnerable young man who had no comprehension of what was happening to him. Stephen Tate exploited the victim’s vulnerabilities for his own sexual gratification.
“Having committed this offence, Stephen Tate then forced the victim and his family to relive the ordeal by giving evidence during the trial.
“I welcome the sentence handed down to Tate today and hope it encourages other victims of sexual offences to contact the police, confident that you will be believed and that we will do everything in our powers to put the perpetrator before the courts.”
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.