Rugby man convicted of abusing young boy in the 1990s

Ronald Brown had denied three charges of indecently assaulting the boy and one of gross indecency with him.

And although a jury at Warwick Crown Court found him not guilty of one indecent assault allegation, he was convicted of the other three offences.

Sentencing was adjourned for the prosecution to get an impact statement from his victim, and Brown (69) of Grendon Drive, Rugby, was granted bail following an application by his barrister Marcus Harry.

But Judge Peter Cooke warned: “The nature of the sentence is inevitable, given what he’s been convicted of.”

During the trial the victim said he had to go to Brown’s home at the time in Freemantle Road, Rugby, to borrow a pair of secateurs for his mother, who was doing some gardening.

In the house he was given a drink of juice, and sat on the sofa in the living room while Brown went to get the secateurs from the garden shed.

When he came back in, Brown put them by the front door and sat next to the boy, who was under 14 at the time.

“With no warning he placed his hand on my groin over my shorts. I downed my juice and got up and walked to the kitchen.

“He questioned me about whether I was going to tell my mum and my dad. I told him I wouldn’t say a thing to anybody. I was scared.”

The jury had heard there had been an earlier incident, also at Brown’s home, when Brown had touched him intimately and had taken the boy’s hand to get the boy to touch him.

Brown denied either incident had taken place, and Mr Harry put to the victim: “You’re making these allegations of sexual abuse up. You’re lying, aren’t you?”

He replied firmly: “No. I can categorically say he did.