Child rapist Jeremiah Cummins escapes death behind bars

Friday, 23 December 2016 07:00

A child rapist who abused two little girls in Bradford has avoided a long prison sentence because he was diagnosed with vascular dementia and was deemed unfit to stand trial.

Jeremiah Cummins, 75 walked free from Bradford Crown Court yesterday because the only punishment that could be lawfully imposed was an absolute discharge.

Cummins raped both girls in the woods and at his home Bradford. The first child was aged between eight and 13 and the younger girl aged between five and nine, when Cummins violated them.

After two psychiatrists found Cummins unfit to stand trial in September this year, a jury ruled that he had committed all the acts alleged against him, including ten counts of rape and seven of indecent assault against the girls.

Judge Jonathan Rose told Cummins: "The consequences of the finding of unfitness to plead and of the verdicts of the jury, is that the ways in which your case can be dealt with are limited. I cannot by law send you to prison."

Judge Rose made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order without limit of time and ordered Cummins to sign on the sex offenders' register for five years.

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