In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that Roger Hocking, 74, was jailed for 20 years for a catalogue of sexual abuse spanning three decades. On appearing at Truro Crown Court on 21 August 2019, the defendant was sentenced for what the judge described as one of the worst cases the court had ever heard. It was reported that Hocking, who had been living on a smallholding near Malaga, Spain, was brought back to the UK on a European Arrest Warrant to face justice for crimes committed in East Cornwall between the 1960s and 1990s.
The investigation established the serial and violent nature of Hocking’s conduct. Devon and Cornwall Police reported that the former army soldier and lorry driver targeted five boys, some as young as four years old. The prosecution reported that Hocking utilized his leave from the military and his local connections to isolate his victims, performing oral sex, attempted buggery, and rape. To ensure their silence, Hocking threatened to kill the children or their family members, telling one boy he would kill his mother if the abuse was ever reported.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Hocking’s offending had a devastating and lifelong impact on his survivors. Truro Crown Court heard how the investigation, which began in September 2017, unmasked abuse that had been hidden for over 50 years. The investigation established that Hocking had previously received jail sentences for abusing other boys in the past, confirming a lifelong pattern of predatory behaviour. The prosecution detailed how one victim was anally raped, while others were forcibly undressed and assaulted in public toilets and private settings.
Judge Simon Carr noted that the breadth and magnitude of the abuse blighted the lives of the victims and their families. For his actions in East Cornwall, Hocking pleaded guilty to 23 counts, including buggery, attempted rape, and indecent assault. The judge noted that the victims had lived in isolation, unaware of the scale of Hocking’s crimes, and handed down a 20-year sentence. Given Hocking’s age and the length of the term, his own defence counsel acknowledged he would likely die in prison.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the crimes reported in England, the status of Roger Hocking is as follows:
- Custodial Sentence: 20 years in prison (2019).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Truro Crown Court following a Devon and Cornwall Police investigation.
- Criminal Record: Buggery (2 counts); Attempted rape; Indecency with a child (8 counts); Indecent assault (7 counts).
- Origin: East Cornwall (Extradited from Spain).
Monitoring and Public Protection
Hocking is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the police and the prison service. Due to the nature of his conduct in Cornwall, which involved the systematic grooming and violent rape of multiple children over thirty years, his management is subject to the highest level of scrutiny. Authorities state that his 20-year sentence and life-long inclusion on the Sex Offenders Register ensure he is permanently removed from the public and monitored until his death.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register for life, Hocking’s records are maintained to provide a permanent account of his crimes. Authorities state that his history of using threats of death to silence his victims in East Cornwall necessitated the significant custodial term. Any further enquiries regarding support for his survivors or the status of his incarceration will be handled through the appropriate judicial channels to ensure the safety and closure of the families affected by his decades of abuse.
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