Paul Bedard

A PREDATORY paedophile groomed and sexually assaulted four young boys while he was a Southampton publican, a court heard.

Paul Bedard plied the boys with alcohol, showered them with money, clothes and cigarettes to win their trust and then took advantage of them for his own sexual gratification.

The 63-year-old, formerly in charge of the Honest Lawyer, was convicted of eight counts of indecent assault, two counts of buggery, one of attempted buggery and one of false imprisonment.

Today he is beginning a 15-year jail term.

The sexual assaults took place over eight years from 1990 to 1998 while Bedard was landlord of The Hobbit and the Clowns and Jesters pubs in Southampton. His victims were aged between 11 and 18 years. Most of the offences took place while they were in their early teens.

During a trial at Southampton Crown Court a jury heard how unmarried Bedard befriended the boys through drinkers and other people at his pubs and would give them work and odd jobs, such as cleaning and glass collecting.

He then abused them on those premises after hours and at his homes.

Bedard, of Lodge Road, Portswood, appeared over a video link from Winchester Prison, and showed no emotion during a sentencing hearing.

The Hobbit, where Bedard was landlord in the 1990s

Nick Rowland, mitigating, said Bedard was suffering from deteriorating health and was in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke. While conceding Bedard had shown no admission of guilt he asked the judge to take into account "for none other than humanitarian reasons" the state of a "man nearing the end of his life".

Passing sentence, Judge Derwin Hope told Bedard he had inflicted "moral corruption"

on each of the boys.

He said the psychological impact of the abuse on the victims was likely to be "profound"

and by forcing them to go through trial he had brought back painful memories with "deep feelings."

You continued to deny these offences in their entirety.

You've shown no empathy and no understanding as to how the offences have impacted on these victims."

DETECTIVES have praised the courage of sex abuse victims for coming forward and helping to put Paul Bedard behind bars.

And they vowed to fight for justice for other victims they believe may have suffered at the hands of the former Southampton publican.

Detective Constable Viv Wilson said she could only imagine how two of his victims found the strength to come forward to police more than ten years after the offences took place.

"This case proves victims can come forward many years later and get justice for what's happened.

"This was a predatory paedophile, who was calculating in the way he picked his victims."

She added the victims, who had found it difficult to lead normal lives, could now try to move on.

9:49am Tuesday 17th June 2008

Print

Email this