London - A paedophile has become the fourth member of his family to be jailed for child sex offences.
Derek Smith’s 16-year sentence follows the conviction of his father, brother and young nephew.
The three oldest family members escaped justice for many years for offences committed in the 1970s and 1980s, but were eventually convicted when victims found the courage to report them.
Passing sentence at Teesside Crown Court, Judge Sean Morris told Smith, 50: “You are the fourth member of this family to have been convicted of sex offences and it’s quite apparent this was a dysfunctional family where sexual boundaries didn’t exist.”
The judge said Smith “will probably never come out” of jail because his liver is “failing” and he has been given a couple of years to live.
The court heard Smith, a former labourer, committed a catalogue of offences against two boys. The first boy fought back with a knife after the pervert climbed into his bed, pretending to be cold. The next day he told Smith’s equally depraved brother, who laughed at him and called him a fantasist. As a result he kept his ordeal secret, but came forward last year when he learnt his abuser had been arrested for attacks on another boy.
Smith was found guilty of four rapes, two sex assaults, two indecent assaults, two charges of sexual activity with a child and two of another serious sexual offence.
Derek Smith’s father George Snr, now 79, was jailed for nine years in 2011 for sexually abusing girls. He groomed his young victims during a 17-year campaign of horrific abuse. When asked by police why he had molested the youngsters, he replied: “It is one of them things, but there again we can’t account for everything we do – not human nature.”
He admitted specimen charges of indecency, indecent assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The pensioner’s other son, George Jnr, was finally brought to justice for abusing a young girl during the 1970s. The 54-year-old lured his victim with money and sweets.
In March he was jailed for four years for attempted rape and three indecent assaults.
The brothers’ nephew, Mark Smith, 20, is serving seven years for attacks on four boys. He abused them after searching the internet for ‘naked children,’ ‘kids in the bath’ and ‘kids on X-Factor.’ He was convicted when he was 18 of rape and two sex assault charges.
All four family members are now on the Sex Offenders Register. Other members of the family, who also live in Darlington, were investigated by Durham Police.
Commenting on the family, Rod Hunt, defending, said: “The whole thing is just deeply depressing, deeply sad. One struggles to find any glimmer of light in this history.”
Daily Mail