An 80-year-old man from Topcliffe, near Thirsk, has been sent to prison for nine years for non-recent child abuse offences against two girls.
Robert Evan Mason, of Swale View, was found guilty of seven offences – six counts of indecent assault on children and one count of committing an act of gross indecency with a child – at York Crown Court on Tuesday (8 June 2021).
He was sentenced immediately after the verdict. He was found not guilty of 10 other sexual assaults.
The court heard that Mason subjected two girls to years of sexual abuse during the 1970s and 1980s, beginning when one of them was just six years old.
Now aged in their 50s, the women bravely reported Mason’s offending to North Yorkshire Police in January 2020.
Detective Constable Karen Barugh, who led the investigation, said:
This case has been incredibly traumatic for all involved. Mason’s victims showed great bravery and strength in coming forward to report his offences to the police so many years after they occurred.
Mason showed no remorse during the investigation and in court the Judge highlighted the fact he had shown no courage to admit the offences he had committed.
Mason groomed his victims and they feared his threatening and violent nature. He was monstrous towards them and his actions have had a huge impact on their lives to this day.
I would like to once again praise the immense bravery of these women for reporting the abuse Mason inflicted on them and ensuring he has been held accountable for his deplorable behaviour.
I hope this sentence and the conclusion at court can bring some closure to the victims as they move on with their lives.
