A 37-year-old Dorset paedophile who spied on a 13-year-old boy in Mudeford woodland for over half an hour before dragging him behind a tree and attempting to sexually assault him has been sentenced to seven years and three months’ imprisonment at Bournemouth Crown Court.
Ryan Aldin, residing at Hunt Road in Christchurch, Dorset, appeared in the dock for sentence at Bournemouth Crown Court having pleaded guilty to inciting a child under 16 to take part in sexual activity, robbery, and criminal damage.
Prosecutor John Wright outlined to the court that Aldin had watched the 13-year-old boy playing with friends in Mudeford Woods for more than 30 minutes. When Aldin noticed the teenager leave his friends and begin walking home alone through the woodland, he followed him.
Stopping the boy, Aldin dragged him behind a tree and attempted to sexually assault him. Mr Wright told the court that the teenager saved himself through his “quick wittedness” in pulling out a toy gun he had in his pocket. An angry Aldin let go of the child and snapped the toy in half, allowing the boy to seize his chance, run for his life, and escape.
The teenager approached a youth outside nearby shops to tell him what had happened, at which point Aldin appeared and threatened the boy: “I know where you live.”
At the sentencing hearing, the boy’s father read out both his own victim personal statement and that of his son, who was too overwhelmed to attend court in person. Wiping away tears, the father told the court his son had been “scarred for life” and described the devastating impact on their family:
“It has made us feel useless as parents. He has lost confidence; he does not like going out on his own. He won’t go to the woods since it happened. I have walked there since I was a kid. We used to go there on dog walks, and I have to drive past it every day, and it reminds me of what happened; it makes me sick and angry.”
The father added that his son suffers nightmares, insists on having his bedroom light on at night, and that when the boy eventually began going out alone again, his father would follow him from afar just to ensure he was safe. In his own statement, the child explained: “I feel anxious and scared,” noting that his anxiety prevented him from playing his favourite Pokémon game on his new phone and left him far more cautious and aware of his surroundings.
In mitigation, defence barrister Aleks Lloyd said Aldin had long-standing issues with alcohol and expressed “shame and remorse”.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, the child victim in this case—as well as any family members whose details could identify him—is protected by mandatory, lifelong statutory anonymity from the moment an allegation is made. Any publication, broadcast, or public dissemination of information capable of leading to his identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Passing sentence, Judge Jonathan Fuller told Aldin he had been “watching and waiting” in the woods and that the child had been “inches from being orally raped”, concluding that the defendant “represents a significant risk of reoffending”.
Judge Fuller jailed Aldin for seven years and three months—ordering that he serve five years and three months before being released on licence—and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) alongside an indefinite restraining order protecting the victim.
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