Kevin Cross, aged 69, of Prislow Fields, Falmouth, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment at Truro Crown Court on Friday, 14 August 2026, after being convicted of sadistic child cruelty, indecent assault, and an attempted sexual offence.
The offences commenced in the mid-1980s at an address in St Austell when the victim, Cross’s stepson, was between nine and 15 years of age. The court heard Cross subjected the boy to repeated violence, striking his knuckles with cutlery, soaking his bedding with water, and sexually assaulting him.
The court heard the most severe abuse involved Cross binding the child’s hands and feet before suspending him from the attic rafters for hours.
Following an investigation by Devon & Cornwall Police, the victim provided video-recorded evidence before dying of cancer one month prior to the trial.
Following a trial at Truro Crown Court, a jury convicted Cross of:
- Multiple counts of child cruelty
- One count of indecent assault
- One count of an attempted serious sexual offence
On 14 August 2026, the presiding judge handed Cross a 12-year custodial sentence, ordering him to serve six years in prison before becoming eligible for release on licence.
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