GUILTY: Vile pensioner, 84, convicted of raping young girl

Thomas Green has already served a prison sentence, 10 years ago, for sexual offences against a girl but has now been convicted of further offences, which he denied.

Following a two-week trial at Bolton Crown Court, it took a jury of six men and six women 10 hours and 29 minutes to find 84-year-old Thomas Green guilty of rape, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and five counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13.

The Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh, remanded Green in custody and the pensioner will be sentenced at a future date.

During the trial the court heard how abuse of a young girl came to light when he sent her messages whilst she was on holiday with a friend, a court has heard.

Green, of Sandham Walk, Great Lever, repeatedly sexually abused two girls, raping one of them and telling one young victim that he needed to commit sex acts because of a medical condition.

Peter Warne, prosecuting, told the jury how Green groomed one of the girls, offering her gifts.

When she was aged 13 and on holiday with a pal she messaged Green asking him to top up her phone credit.

“He refused, saying that she never did anything for him when he asked,” said Mr Warne.

“She said the things he asked were disgusting.”

The girl became upset and showed the messages to her friend and after her mother was told about the abuse she had been suffering, police were informed.

Following Green’s previous conviction in 2011, another youngster came forward, in 2017, to claim she had been orally raped by Green when she was a primary school pupil.

Green is said to have also shown her an indecent photograph of a girl performing the same act.

“She said at the time that it first happened she didn’t want to do it but had not realised it was wrong,” Mr Warne told the court.

“She decided to tell her friends because they had been having safeguarding lessons in school.”

After police were contacted they went back to Green’s victim from his first trial, who is now an adult, and asked her if she could recall any other offences being committed against her.

“She initially said no, then 12 months later she contacted the officer in the case,” said Mr Warne.

“She described having flashbacks as she walked home from work because she had to pass the area where the defendant then lived.”

The court was told that Green would take photographs of her and make her watch pornographic videos whilst he performed a sex act on himself.

Thomas Green outside court

He is said to have sexually abused her on several occasions and, one time, offered her £100 for oral sex, which she refused.

“He would attempt to justify what he was doing to her by saying it was only touching and he had not had sex with her,” said Mr Warne.

“He also used other methods of emotional blackmail.

“He said he had a medical condition which meant he needed to masturbate or he might get ill or even die.”