Sex offender's sentence cut
Published: 7:08 PM June 21, 2007
AN Ipswich sex predator has had his indeterminate prison sentence cut to four years by the Court of Appeal, it can be revealed today.
Patrick Greaves was sent to a young offenders' institution in November last year after being convicted of his second sexual offence in less than two years.
Altering Greaves' sentence for his attack on the 19-year-old victim, appeal judge Lord Justice Scott Baker said the court did not consider it reasonable to assume a risk of serious harm to the public.
He said: "In the end, whilst this court is of the view that it was perfectly reasonable to apply the assumption that there was substantial risk of re-offending in this way, by commission of further specified offences, we do not consider that it was reasonable to assume that would result in serious harm to the public.
"The question remains: is it nonetheless a conclusion that should be drawn? In all the circumstances we do not consider that it should have been. There should therefore, have been passed a determinate sentence.
"The judge calculated that as a notional determinate sentence at a term of four years.
"The appeal will be allowed. The sentence will be varied to a determinate sentence of four years' detention."
At Greaves' sentencing for the attack, which was carried out at his mother's home in Berners Street, Ipswich, in September 2005, Judge Peter De Mille said: "It was most likely that what you did to her (the victim) was designed to humiliate her as much as give you sexual gratification. This is not the first time you have carried out sexual offences.
"You are a person who poses a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm."
Greaves was convicted at Ipswich Crown Court last August.
He was originally on trial the previous March for rape, false imprisonment and sexual assault charges. It was alleged he and his friend Sean Foster held back his victim's arms as Greaves attacked her.
However, Greaves was acquitted of rape and false imprisonment, while the jury failed to reach verdicts on the sex assault charges.
He was convicted of the assault by penetration charge at his retrial last August.
The court heard Greaves had been previously convicted of sexual touching in March 2005.
Foster, of Beaconsfield Road, Ipswich admitted two sex assaults on the woman prior to Greaves' original March trial.
He was sentenced to 11 months in detention suspended for 12 months.
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