SENTENCING STATEMENTS
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Read more about victims of crime and sentencing.
HMA v Anthony Walker
Jun 11, 2024
On sentencing, Judge Craig told Walker:
“You were found guilty by a jury after trial of charges including multiple rapes of a child when she was between the ages of 10 and 15 as well as serious sex abuse of that same child from the ages of 6 and 15. You were also found guilty of serious sex abuse of four other children on various occasions when they were still at primary school and one when she was about 13 years old.
Over the years of your abuse, two of your victims, separately, tried to alert the authorities to what was happening but you were not charged until 2020 when another victim came forward. The evidence at trial was clear that over a period of 9 years you repeatedly and consistently preyed on young girls you had access to, groomed them and sexually abused them. There was a significant breach of trust on your part, in particular in relation to the victim that you repeatedly raped. That position of trust allowed you access to your victims who, because of their young age, were unable to resist or, in the main, report your abuse of them. When it was reported, you denied abusing them, and no charges were brought at the time. You continue to deny your behaviour even now, but the evidence at trial was compelling.
The victim impact statements make it clear that your abuse has blighted the lives of your victims and yet you show no remorse for, or recognition of, the seriousness of your crimes.
The criminal justice social work report prepared for this morning’s sentencing hearing assesses you at low to moderate risk of re-offending. Quite properly that report recognises that the court will impose a substantial custodial sentence. It also observes that you continue to maintain your innocence and instead attribute a sinister motive to your victims. Such a motive was clearly and unequivocally rejected by the jury.
Although you have no previous convictions, and notwithstanding your age, because of the gravity of the crimes and your complete lack of remorse a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal.
Your crimes comprised a course of conduct of appalling predatory sexual behaviour against young girls, and to reflect that course of conduct I intend to impose a cumulo sentence of 12 years. That will be backdated to 25 August 2023 when you were first remanded in custody, having been extradited from Bulgaria where you fled prior to the first trial diet.
Standing the recent guidance from the Appeal Court, I am required to state what sentence I would have imposed on each charge separately.
In relation to each of charges 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 – which were all charges of lewd and libidinous practices - had I been sentencing you for each separately I would have imposed concurrent sentences of 4 years for each charge. In relation to charge 5 – which comprised multiple rapes of a child – the sentence would have been a consecutive sentence of 8 years.
You will remain subject to the notification requirements applicable to sex offenders for an indefinite period, and your name will be added to the lists of persons deemed unsuitable to work with vulnerable groups.”
11 June 2024