Fury at Nelson child sex fiend’s jail term

Francis Naylor, 60, of Thursden Place, Nelson, had a record for molesting children going back more than 30 years. The defendant had admitted inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, three allegations of assaulting a boy under 13 and one of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy under 13 last May and July.

He was jailed for five and a half years, given extended licence for five years, put on the Sex Offenders Register and was given a life-long Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning him from approaching, associating or communicating with any child under 16, unless under supervision and from allowing anyone under 16 into his house.

But in a statement the victim’s mother said: “As a family we are extremely disappointed with the sentence. Frank Naylor preys on the young and innocent and as a family we have felt let down.

“I am very proud of my son for the courage he has shown and am very grateful to the police for their support and understanding throughout.

“We feel very let down by the lack of support from local services. After six months of asking we are still battling to get some form of support or counselling for our son.”

Naylor committed his first sex attack when he was 16 but there had been a gap of 25 years since his last known sex assault, Burnley Crown Court was told.

He was convicted of three offences of indecency with a 12-year-old girl in 1980 and indecent assault of a boy and a girl aged 13 and 11.

Naylor preyed on his latest victim just days after his wife died and blamed the stress of her illness and depression for attacking the child, saying it soothed his emotional upset.

The victim told his mother and was interviewd by police last August. Naylor was quizzed twice. He admitted some of the behaviour alleged against him The defendant had denied he was sexually attracted to children.

Judge Beverley Lunt, sentencing, told him: “That shows a worrying lack of insight into your problem.”