Pervert jailed for 14 years after blackmailing young victim - The Stratford Observer

Pervert jailed for 14 years after blackmailing young victim

Stratford Editorial 22nd Nov, 2016 Updated: 22nd Nov, 2016   0

A JUDGE has praised the young victim of a pervert who sexually abused her and later blackmailed her into sending him indecent images of herself.

Stratford man Joaquim Pereira was jailed for a total of 14 years for a number of charges of sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting her to take part in child pornography, and a further offence of witness intimidation.

The 52 year-old was found guilty of all the charges following a second trial at Warwick Crown Court – after the jury in the first trial in July had to be discharged for legal reasons.

After protesting loudly from the dock there was ‘no justice’ and the judge had been unfair to him, Pereira of St Andrews Crescent, was sentenced in his absence after Judge Andrew Lockhart QC ordered him to be taken to the cells before detailing the sentences.




He was jailed for ten years for the sexual offences, with three years consecutive to that for causing child pornography and a further year for intimidation.

Judge Lockhart then praised Pereira’s young victim and her family for the ‘dignity’ they had showed in facing ‘the most awful of experiences,’ which he said was ‘something this court can only marvel at.’


Prosecutor Gary Short said a few years ago Pereira, who knew the girl’s family, sexually abused her by touching her when she was about 12, and took indecent pictures of her exposing herself.

Some of the abuse took place in a lock-up garage Pereira had, and progressed to him having sex with her when she was older.

Then last year Pereira contacted the girl by e-mail, sending her a copy of one of the pictures he had taken of her when she was younger.

He demanded more photographs of a sexual nature from her, threatening to show the ones he already had to her family and friends if she did not comply.

Despite her doing as he asked, Pereira sent a copy of a picture to her boyfriend who quizzed her about it – prompting her to the police.

Pereira denied any sexual abuse of the girl or making her send pictures to him, sacking his lawyers during his first trial because he was not happy with the way they were putting his case.

Following his conviction at the second trial, Caroline Bray, defending, said Pereira could not express remorse, because he maintained his innocence.

Jailing Pereira, Judge Lockhart also ordered him to register as a sex offender for life and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from contacting his victim or having unsupervised contact with any girl under the age of 16.

The judge also praised the police officers for the way the investigation had been carried out.

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