Sidney Cooke
Encyclopedia
Sidney Cooke, (born 18 April 1927) is an English convicted child molester
serving two life sentences.
of 14-year-old Jason Swift. The gang, led by Cooke, gang-raped Swift in what the mainstream media described as a homosexual orgy
, in November 1985.
Leslie Bailey had informed authorities that Cooke was among those who murdered seven-year-old Mark Tildesley in Wokingham
, Berkshire
, but Cooke's role in the murder was not investigated until 1999; by this time, Bailey was dead, having been murdered in prison in October 1993. Tildesley disappeared while visiting a funfair in Wokingham on the evening of 1 June 1984. He was lured away from the fair and his bicycle was found chained to railings nearby. In 1991, the Crown Prosecution Service
declined to prosecute Cooke for Mark Tildesley's murder as he was already in prison for the manslaughter of Jason Swift.
Cooke's sentence was reduced to 16 years on appeal
in 1989, and he was parole
d nine years later in April 1998. He told an appeals court that Bailey was the ringleader of the gang, who are believed to have killed at least nine victims.
Cooke's parole caused huge public outrage. This was exacerbated by a plan to move him to a hostel near two schools, and Cooke himself admitted that he might re-offend; while in prison, he refused to take part in rehabilitation sessions.
Police refused to disclose the location where he was to be moved, smuggling him out of jail to avoid a vigil for his victims.
There were several demonstrations against Cooke's release. As the police feared for his safety, he was forced to live in a suite of cells at Yeovil
Police station, but on 26 January 1999, he was again arrested and charged with committing 18 sex offences which occurred between 1972 and 1981. These included repeated abuse and assault
of two brothers and the rape
of a young woman. Many of the offences had come to public attention after they were reported on in the Channel 4
documentary Dispatches
.
At his trial on 5 October 1999, Cooke pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the two brothers on 10 occasions in 1972 and 1973. He admitted to having carried out five counts of indecent assault
and five counts of buggery
but denied the remaining eight charges, which were four counts of rape, three further counts of indecent assault, and one of buggery, that occurred in 1981. These were abandoned by the judge, who ordered them to lie on file. As a defence for his crimes, Cooke claimed to have himself been sexually abused as a child.
On 17 December 1999, Cooke received two life sentences, and the judge told Cooke that he would only be considered for release after he had served a five-year jail sentence. He is still behind bars today for these offences, even though the five-year minimum sentence has elapsed.
Cooke has since suffered a stroke
while in prison, and has been provided with a specially adapted mechanical bed due to his impaired mobility.
While in prison, Cooke has struck a friendship with a fellow paedophile dubbed "Britain's Josef Fritzl
." The pair who are hated by everyone in Wakefield prison
, are said to be inseparable. One insider said: "It's almost a perfect match - two sickos getting together to form some kind of twisted bond."Armstrong, Jeremy."'British Fritzl' strikes up prison friendship with reviled paedophile Sidney Cooke". Daily Mirror. 15 Jan 2009
Brass Eye
did a skit in which Chris Morris
pretended that Cooke had been sent into space to keep him away from children. Prior to the launch, an eight-year-old boy was placed on board with Cooke by mistake.
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
serving two life sentences.
Biography
Along with three accomplices – Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Lennie Smith – Cooke was sentenced to 19 years in prison in May 1989 for the manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of 14-year-old Jason Swift. The gang, led by Cooke, gang-raped Swift in what the mainstream media described as a homosexual orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
, in November 1985.
Leslie Bailey had informed authorities that Cooke was among those who murdered seven-year-old Mark Tildesley in Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, but Cooke's role in the murder was not investigated until 1999; by this time, Bailey was dead, having been murdered in prison in October 1993. Tildesley disappeared while visiting a funfair in Wokingham on the evening of 1 June 1984. He was lured away from the fair and his bicycle was found chained to railings nearby. In 1991, the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
declined to prosecute Cooke for Mark Tildesley's murder as he was already in prison for the manslaughter of Jason Swift.
Cooke's sentence was reduced to 16 years on appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
in 1989, and he was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d nine years later in April 1998. He told an appeals court that Bailey was the ringleader of the gang, who are believed to have killed at least nine victims.
Cooke's parole caused huge public outrage. This was exacerbated by a plan to move him to a hostel near two schools, and Cooke himself admitted that he might re-offend; while in prison, he refused to take part in rehabilitation sessions.
Police refused to disclose the location where he was to be moved, smuggling him out of jail to avoid a vigil for his victims.
There were several demonstrations against Cooke's release. As the police feared for his safety, he was forced to live in a suite of cells at Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
Police station, but on 26 January 1999, he was again arrested and charged with committing 18 sex offences which occurred between 1972 and 1981. These included repeated abuse and assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
of two brothers and the rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of a young woman. Many of the offences had come to public attention after they were reported on in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
.
At his trial on 5 October 1999, Cooke pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the two brothers on 10 occasions in 1972 and 1973. He admitted to having carried out five counts of indecent assault
Indecent assault
Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...
and five counts of buggery
Buggery
The British English term buggery is very close in meaning to the term sodomy, and is often used interchangeably in law and popular speech. It may be, also, a specific common law offence, encompassing both sodomy and bestiality.-In law:...
but denied the remaining eight charges, which were four counts of rape, three further counts of indecent assault, and one of buggery, that occurred in 1981. These were abandoned by the judge, who ordered them to lie on file. As a defence for his crimes, Cooke claimed to have himself been sexually abused as a child.
On 17 December 1999, Cooke received two life sentences, and the judge told Cooke that he would only be considered for release after he had served a five-year jail sentence. He is still behind bars today for these offences, even though the five-year minimum sentence has elapsed.
Cooke has since suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
while in prison, and has been provided with a specially adapted mechanical bed due to his impaired mobility.
While in prison, Cooke has struck a friendship with a fellow paedophile dubbed "Britain's Josef Fritzl
Sheffield incest case
The Sheffield incest case concerns the conviction in November 2008 in Sheffield Crown Court of a 54-year-old English businessman who, undetected over a period of 25 years, committed incestuous rape of his two daughters, fathering seven surviving children with them...
." The pair who are hated by everyone in Wakefield prison
Wakefield (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom...
, are said to be inseparable. One insider said: "It's almost a perfect match - two sickos getting together to form some kind of twisted bond."Armstrong, Jeremy."'British Fritzl' strikes up prison friendship with reviled paedophile Sidney Cooke". Daily Mirror. 15 Jan 2009
In popular culture
MockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
Brass Eye
Brass Eye
Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries. A series of six aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001....
did a skit in which Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
pretended that Cooke had been sent into space to keep him away from children. Prior to the launch, an eight-year-old boy was placed on board with Cooke by mistake.
External links
- Cooke: The predatory paedophile from BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
- Protests and riots over Cooke from BBC News