In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Treva McCartney, then 55, formerly of Theresa Street, Blaydon, Tyne and Wear, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison at Newcastle Crown Court. McCartney, a “vile” and “predatory” teaching assistant, was convicted of seven counts of sexual assault against three girls aged between seven and eight. The investigation by Northumbria Police revealed that he “carefully groomed” the children while working at a school in Tynedale, Northumberland, utilising his position of trust to carry out “sickening” abuse.
The court heard horrific details of how McCartney preyed on the girls during one-to-one sessions and at break times. He would flatter the victims, telling them they were “beautiful” and that he “adored” them, before subjecting them to “vicious” sexual touching. One girl described how he would move her toward a fence during break time to hide his hands while he assaulted her. The “depraved” behaviour came to light only when a girl told her sister she “liked him but wished he would stop touching her,” prompting a serious investigation.
During the police raid on McCartney’s home in Blaydon, officers seized his computer and discovered a vile stash of indecent images of children. This included nine Category A images—the most serious and “violent” classification of child abuse material. Heartbreaking victim personal statements revealed that the girls felt a “vicious” sense of guilt for “getting him into trouble” because of the grooming, while one mother was “devastated by feelings of guilt” for having trusted the dangerous predator.
Judge Amanda Rippon, while delivering the sentence, reported that McCartney had “fooled everyone” by exploiting the trust of the school and the parents. She told him, “Those girls should have been completely safe in your care,” and emphasised that “no one should feel guilty but you.” As a result of his convictions for sexual assault and the possession of indecent images, Treva McCartney was jailed for three years and six months. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Northumbria Police.
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