Roy Pritchard - Repeat Sex Offender

A great grandfather accused of attempting to rape a 14-year-old girl in his sheltered housing flat is a convicted sex offender.

Roy Pritchard, 61, admitted sexually assaulting a supermarket worker at a Co-op store last February, Leeds Crown Court heard.

A jury was shown CCTV evidence of the attack when Pritchard grabbed the woman around her waist as she stacked shelves in January 2007.

She fled to another part of the store but Pritchard followed, picked her up and sexually assaulted her.

Pritchard is standing trial after allegedly luring a 14-year-old girl to his flat at Moorhaven Court, Moortown, Leeds and sexually abusing and attempting to rape her last December.

The girl told police she succumbed to Pritchard's demands for sex after he held a bread knife to her face and threatened to stab and kill her.

She said: "I was thinking I don't want to die."

Giving evidence, Pritchard – who told the jury he is a great grandfather – said he thought the girl was aged 19 or 20 and comforted her with a kiss when he spotted her crying.

He said she came to his flat willingly and sat on his sofa and watched The Simpsons.

Pritchard told the jury: "She definitely wanted it to happen."

He said he only stopped when she suddenly told him she was 14, and added: "I said 'You are jail bait' and I got off her. In my eyes she was 19 all the time."

Pritchard denied threatening the girl with a knife or stopping her leaving his flat.

He said: "I will not have sex with anyone, regardless of their age, unless they want to have sex; it's a two way thing with me."

Forensic tests showed there was evidence of Pritchard's saliva on the girl's clothing.

Pritchard denies: false imprisonment; threats to kill; attempted rape; two charges of sexual assault and causing the girl to engage in sexual activity without consent.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte