In 2020, the Offender Database recorded that 80-year-old Edgar Collins—of St Andrew’s Close, Shifnal—was jailed for 14 years for the sexual abuse of three young girls. Collins appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court where he was sentenced for seven sexual offences committed across two decades. The investigation established that Collins targeted two girls under the age of 10 between 1996 and 1999, before assaulting a third victim, also under 10, in 2017.
The investigation established that Collins preyed on his victims on multiple occasions, leaving a legacy of trauma that spanned generations. The prosecution reported that Collins denied all charges, forcing a jury trial that ultimately exposed his decades of predatory behaviour. Shrewsbury Crown Court heard through impact statements that his victims remain haunted by the abuse, with one adult survivor describing how her experiences in the 1990s continued to damage her relationships and her ability to parent her own children.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that one of the victims suffered from intense guilt because her own silence, born of fear, meant Collins remained free to abuse another child years later. The investigation established that the sentencing structure reflected the separate eras of Collins’ offending, with nine years handed down for the first historic victim and a consecutive term for the second. The prosecution reported that the final two years were added specifically for the 2017 assault, illustrating that Collins remained an active threat well into his late seventies.
Judge-led proceedings at Shrewsbury Crown Court concluded with Collins being sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison, with an additional year to be served on licence. For his actions in Shifnal and the “predatory and persistent” nature of the crimes reported, he was also placed on the sex offenders register for life. The judge noted that due to his advanced age, the 14-year term meant Collins would likely die behind bars, a sentence that reflected the gravity of his lifelong disregard for the safety of children.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Shropshire and the West Midlands, the status of Edgar Collins as of April 11, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (Sentenced to 14 years in 2020; currently incarcerated; expected to remain in custody for the duration of his life given his age).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for LIFE.
- SHPO Status: Active for LIFE (Including total prohibitions on contact with minors and strict residency monitoring should he ever be released).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children or vulnerable adults; permanently barred from any community role).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Indecent assault x6; Sexual assault x1).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court; investigated by West Mercia Police.
- Criminal Record: Abused children in the 1990s and again in 2017; All victims were under 10 years of age; Denied all charges despite overwhelming witness testimony; Targeted multiple victims over a 20-year span.
- Origin: Shifnal, Shropshire.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Collins is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the prison estate. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his “serial targeting of children under the age of 10 and his continued offending as an octogenarian”—his management is a priority for the West Mercia Police Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history identifies him as an individual who showed no sign of stopping his predatory behaviour with age, requiring the most rigorous tier of statutory oversight to ensure he never has access to children again, even within a clinical or care setting.
As a registered sex offender for life, the 86-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that the 14-year sentence provided a vital sense of justice for survivors who had carried the burden of his crimes for over twenty years. Any attempt to apply for early release on compassionate grounds, any failure to disclose historical aliases, or any unauthorised contact with the victims’ families will be strictly monitored to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who demonstrated a persistent and lifelong intent to harm children.
QUESTION – Given that the offender continued to target children under 10 for over 20 years and only stopped when he was caught, do you believe that “Geriatric Predation” should carry a mandatory whole-life tariff to ensure that such offenders never return to the community?
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