In November 2022, Shaun Wightman, then aged 57, of Barnsley, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 16 years in prison after being convicted of eight child abuse offences.
The court heard details regarding a South Yorkshire Police investigation into severe offences committed against a child victim. Prosecutors outlined how Wightman repeatedly attempted to evade the judicial process, absconding prior to his scheduled trial in August 2021 before handing himself in early the following year.
When the trial was re-listed for October 2022, Wightman attended the opening day before fleeing a second time. South Yorkshire Police officers conducted enquiries that resulted in his arrest in Scotland on 31 October 2022.
The trial at Sheffield Crown Court proceeded in his absence, with the jury delivering guilty verdicts on eight counts.
On 4 November 2022, the presiding judge handed Wightman a 16-year custodial sentence, with all case details catalogued on the UK Register Database for public record transparency.
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