In 2006, the Offender Database recorded that Barry Spencer, then 61, was sentenced for a prolific and predatory campaign of child abuse spanning four decades. On Wednesday, 15 February 2006, Spencer, of Keighley, West Yorkshire, appeared at Leicester Crown Court, where he was handed a 15-year custodial sentence. A former disc jockey, he admitted to raping two girls and committing 70 other sexual assaults against a total of 15 girls and one boy.
The investigation established that between the 1960s and 2004, Spencer utilised his position at the Granby Halls roller-skating rink in Leicester, Leicestershire, to identify and groom victims aged between five and 15. He won the trust of children by offering free entry to Saturday morning discos before luring them to his home. To ensure their silence, he threatened to ban them from the roller disco. One victim described being imprisoned in the back of his lorry behind a “fortress” of cardboard boxes until he returned to assault her.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Spencer had carefully manipulated his victims, often assaulting girls in the bath or bedroom of his property. Leicester Crown Court heard that when the defendant was arrested in 2004—following several victims coming forward—police discovered dozens of photographs and video material of his victims at his home. Judge Michael Stokes noted that while the “vile” nature of the offences warranted a life term, Spencer was spared a life sentence only due to his late guilty pleas.
The judge noted that Spencer’s actions had caused long-term trauma to scores of children over forty years. For his actions in Leicester, Leicestershire, the court determined that the defendant was a “dangerous” individual whose professional role was a direct tool for his predatory behaviour. The prosecution, led by David Herbert, detailed how the two girls he raped were just 10 and 13 when the abuse began, illustrating the “despicable” level of systematic corruption involved.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, Barry Spencer was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 15 years in prison.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are in effect for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for 72 counts of rape and sexual assault.
- Evidence: Forensic seizure of indecent photographs and videos from his residence.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Spencer is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Leicestershire Police, West Yorkshire Police, and the prison estate. Due to the forty-year campaign of abuse in Leicester, his management is subject to the highest level of oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Spencer must comply with notification requirements regarding his residence in Keighley, West Yorkshire, for the rest of his life. Authorities state that his history of utilising public venues like roller rinks to snare children necessitates permanent monitoring of his social interactions and proximity to minors. Any breach of his registration conditions or future licence terms will result in immediate arrest and a return to Leicester Crown Court.
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