Carlisle man convicted over historical sex abuse

A man has been convicted of the historical sexual abuse of a boy, while he himself was 14-year-old.

Paul Wright, 49, from Abbey Street, in Carlisle, denied four charges, alleging that he committed a serious sexual assault on the secondary school-aged male during the 1980s in West Cumbria.

A Jury at Carlisle Crown Court found him guilty of one offence and not guilty of the other three.

He was granted bail until his next court appearance on 24 January.

Hearing a summary of the evidence of the one crime Wright was found to have committed, the jurors heard that the young victim "did not have any understanding of what was happening".

Wright was said to have told the boy: "Don't tell anyone."

The victim who had initially been "too ashamed" to talk about it, didn't tell his mother, medical staff and the police until 2017.

Judge Nicholas Barker asked for a a pre-sentence report to be carried out before Wright's sentence.

He told Wright: "At this stage I am not giving you any indication as to what the sentence will be.

"It is not straightforward and I will have consideration to the law as it was (at the time of the offence)."