Sunday, 5th July 2009

News from the Guernsey Press

Sex offences catch up with 61-year-old

A MAN who committed two sex offences against a 10-year-old boy has been sent to prison for nine months by the Royal Court.

Edwin Bougourd, 61, admitted counts of committing an act of gross indecency with the boy and of indecently assaulting him.

Crown Advocate Graeme McKerrel told the court that the offences had been committed during a two-year period from April 1991.

Bougourd was about 45 at the time and living in a property called Barnesfield in Grand Fort Road, St Sampson’s, which has since been demolished and which the complainant described as a shack.

The complainant would regularly visit the home of a friend who was of a similar age. Bougourd was friendly with the same family and would also go there.

Bougourd befriended the complainant and would take him and his friend fishing. On occasions, the complainant would be alone at Bougourd’s home, which was when the offences were committed.

The court heard how, in 1988, Bougourd had been jailed for three months for committing an act of gross indecency with a child.

In 1997, he was jailed for two years for similar offences.

Advocate Chris Green said his client had pleaded guilty to the latest charges at the first opportunity, which had spared the complainant having to give evidence in court. His offending had not caused physical injury to the boy.

‘These offences pre-date those the court dealt with in 1997 and it is too difficult to say how these two offences would have affected Mr Bougourd’s sentence had the Royal Court been aware of them then,’ he said.

Bougourd had worked for the same employer since 1999 and his accommodation was linked to that. His employer had provided a reference for him.

Bougourd had undergone treatment for his sex offending and Advocate Green suggested a suspended prison sentence would be appropriate. Judge Russell Finch said the court did not agree.

‘You exploited this young boy’s trust and abused him in a way which from our experience is typical of someone who commits these sorts of offence,’ he told the defendant. ‘You will always present a potential risk to children and it has been noted that you lack a certain amount of empathy with your victim and could benefit from more work [treatment].’

He sentenced Bougourd to nine months in prison on each count, to run concurrently.

He also imposed a one-year extended-sentence licence. Bougourd will have to abide by certain conditions on his release and could be brought back to prison at any time during that period should he breach any of them.

Article posted on 5th December, 2008 - 2.29pm

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13 Article Comments

  1. L.R

    sex offences with a horse 3 yrs, with a 10 yr old boy 9 months . what ?!

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  2. Malak al-Maut

    so a horse is more important than a kid then?

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  3. Paul

    Nine months? How pathetic!

    It makes me really wonder what is in our authorities thoughts when they soft soap these disgusting sickos. How many others has he had his way with?

    So in six months we all need to look out for our own childrens safety.

    I would like to see these offenders castrated and tatooed with a large P on their foreheads. So all would know to avoid them like the plague.

    Maybe force them to be tagged for life so that their movements can be monitored. At the very least they should be excluded from places frequented by children.

    I’m shocked why parents and relatives do nothing. These scumbags would not get away with this if it was directed at any of my family. I’d put them in a wheel chair!

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  4. Neil Lee

    9 Months ??? This is just not right is it ? Good job he never had a couple of spliffs in his back pocket when he was arrested eh ,he would be doing a lot longer. Dont the judges in Guernsey realise just how serious Kiddy fiddling is. It makes me sick to the back teeth to hear about these sickos getting such short sentences.

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  5. nik

    I agree neil,someone should’ve given him a bit of pot of a couple of pills and he’d have received a more serious sentence!it’s an outrage the flimsy terms these vile swine receive.come on you officials,dole out some justice. leroy should have gone to hospital, this waste of air should be locked up for everyones safety.no wonder people lose repect for the courts.

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  6. conrad

    We don’t know what the evidence was.
    sparing the complainant having to give evidence makes for a very grey area.
    Sounds like the boy… or young man now made a complaint ? if he made a complaint then we should here what it was before passing judgement here.

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  7. W H Bonney

    This absolutly disgusts me….

    As a new parent I am scared of my child growing up over here when you hear of the courts giving out Micky Mouse sentences…

    Its official - the Guernsey courts are complete clowns… It is safer to be a horse then a 10 year old boy in Guernsey… This story actually makes me shake with rage - how can any court be so incompetent??

    If this case hadn’t been so serious one might think it was a wind up…

    Whoever chose this sentence needs to do the honourable thing & stand down as they are almost promoting child abuse as opposed to bestiality….

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  8. Neil Lee

    Conrad Why would anyone want to hear the details ??? Does it matter what this sicko did ? Is there a sex assult against a child that does not deserve a prison sentence ? I dont think there is! and I doubt others do.Unless they are fellow perverts .

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  9. Paul

    conrad
    I am worried and wondering about your motives here exactly?

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  10. Sheila Cataroche

    There are a broad range of sex offences ranging from flashing and inappropriate touching to kidnap and rape. Because details are suppressed to protect the victims we have no idea what this man actually did.
    In some respects the length of the prison sentence
    doesn’t matter as anyone convicted of offences against children will find themselves treated as a pariah and be punished for the rest of their lives.

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  11. Jackie

    The island requires a published Sex Offenders Register. I heard one deputy give a reason for not having one as ‘it might drive them underground’.

    Hello? When was kiddie fiddling ever a street art?

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  12. Jackie

    Horse fiddling 3 years, kiddie fiddling 9 months.

    Is it just me?

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  13. Kiki

    Maybe the law relating to paedophiles is old and needs updating??? Maybe the judicial system is corrupt? Maybe its not what you know, it’s who you know.

    I don’t get how someone can get 5 years for growing cannabis and yet someone only gets 9 months for ruining a child’s life.

    Totally wrong if you ask me.

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