The Tobermore Paedophile, William Patterson, convicted of sexually abusing children at his wife’s childminding establishment was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Friday, a case the judge characterised as “disturbing and distressing.”
William Patterson, residing on Magherafelt Road in Tobermore, County Londonderry, has a prior conviction for 84 counts of child sexual abuse.
His victims were both preschool and primary school-aged boys and girls.
The youngest victim of William Patterson’s torture was about three years old.
The abuse occurred at his family residence over a thirteen-year span commencing in September 2005.
William Patterson rejected the allegations of participating in sexual behaviour in the presence of minors, indecent exposure, inciting minors to engage in sexual activity, and sexual assault.
On Friday at Coleraine Crown Court, the judge characterised William Patterson as a “dangerous man” and deemed his actions “highly concerning.”
The court was informed that William Patterson exploited his victims, deceiving them and earning their trust to facilitate his assault.
The judge said “considerable planning went into the sexual assaults” saying that William Patterson would “telephone his wife to get her to prepare and send the children to the shed when he was ready for the children to ‘help him'” which she understood.
It was in the shed where William Patterson sexually assaulted some of the children.
The court was told that William Patterson’s offending only stopped after he was arrested in 2018.
The judge concluded that after assessment, William Patterson was deemed a high risk of reoffending and posed a significant risk to the public.
The judge said William Patterson was a “prolific serial predator” and the impact of the abuse on the victims and the families had caused “long term emotional harm”.
William Patterson will spend 22 years in prison and is disqualified from working with or having access to children for life.
PSNI Det Ch Insp Kerry Brennan welcomed William Patterson’s sentencing and thanked those who came forward.
“No sentence is ever going to undo the horrific offending that William Patterson has inflicted upon his victims,” she said.
“We absolutely applaud the bravery of the families, of the victims, especially supporting the police investigation.”
She also encouraged victims of sexual abuse “irrelevant of when it happened” to get in contact with the police.
“We do not want dangerous predators like William Patterson in our society.”
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.