Gloucester man, 77, jailed for sexually abusing 92-year-old woman

A man who sexually assaulted a 92-year-old woman with Alzheimer disease in her own home has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

The abuse by Eric Barton of Hucclecote was captured on hidden surveillance cameras in the victim's home.

He was found guilty of five charges relating to sexual assault last week.

Sentencing the 77-year-old at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Moira Macmillan said: "It is difficult to imagine a more vulnerable victim."

Judge Macmillan said the offences "have had a devastating impact on the woman's family" and "many of them have had to seek counselling as a direct result."

He was found guilty of five charges of engaging in sexual activity with a woman with a mental disorder which impeded her free choice.

He was found not guilty of one count of penetrative sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding free choice, and one count of inciting a person with a mental disorder impeding free choice to engage in sexual activity

During the trail, the jury were told how Barton's offences, committed between 1 February and 5 March, were discovered after the woman's daughter decided to install hidden surveillance cameras in the victim's home.

She did this after being told by carers that Barton, of Hill View Road, Hucclecote, had been seen doing up his trousers and looking flustered as he left the kitchen, where he had been alone with the victim.

The jury was told that within hours of the cameras being installed, the daughter received a camera activation notification on her phone.

Looking immediately at the footage, Prosecutor James Haskell said the "daughter's worst nightmare came true as she saw Barton inside her mother's bedroom engaging in sexual activity with the 92-year-old woman".

Barton had known the victim, who had Alzheimer's disease, for around 10 years and had been given a key to let himself into her home.

The victim's condition had worsened during the pandemic restrictions, with dementia experts explaining to the court that one of the major signs being the amount of flirting she was embarking on and the sexual references she was making.

The jury was told while the woman has become skilled at masking the severity of her Alzheimer's disease, a consultant who later examined her concluded that she did not have the mental capacity to refuse any sexual advances.

In his police interview, Barton said he had began to fondle the woman on a regular basis after giving her a hug, which he said she enjoyed.

He said it later evolved into sexual activity.

During the trial, his defence barrister Lloyd Jenkins told the jury that "Barton could not reasonably have known that the woman was unable refuse consent for sexual activity."

But Judge Macmillan told Barton that he knew the woman had "reached the stage" in her dementia "where her memory had been affected" and while he said "she encouraged sexual activity", this was a "double edged sword as far as her family are concerned."

Judge Macmillan said Barton was in "denial for the five offences" and had "persuaded" himself that "the woman welcomed sexual contact."

Sentencing him, Judge Macmillan said Barton took advantage of the woman's "acquiescence and her willingness to engage without protest, even though she no longer had the capacity to consent".

Trusted by her family, Judge Macmillan said Barton had committed "an abuse of trust".

"These offences have had a devastating impact on the woman's family as many of them have had to seek counselling as a direct result of your offending," she added.

Barton was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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