Sexually abusing 13-year-old boy.

A 69-year-old man, Christopher Wren, has been sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy.

Wren was arrested in July 2022 after employees at a local Co-Op store witnessed him naked in his hot tub with the victim. The court heard that Wren had been paying the teenager to do odd jobs around his house before he began abusing him.

Wren pleaded guilty to five charges of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13. During the sentencing, Wren appeared in court dressed in grey joggers and a grey Puma jumper, with his head bowed, while his wife sat in the public gallery.

Wren's defense attorney, Christopher Martin, argued that this was Wren's first offense and that he was in poor health, having been found in a diabetic coma in his prison cell on three separate occasions.

Martin stated, "The defendant is a well-educated man who has, throughout his adult life, contributed to society in a manner he has enjoyed regular employment. He has been married for 40 years, and his wife is fully aware of the circumstances of this offending and remains supportive if not understanding in terms of Wren. He has several serious health conditions – he has been diagnosed with type two diabetes and has been undergoing a triple heart bypass. In the last three weeks, he has been rushed from HMP Chelmsford to hospital having been found in his cell at having suffered a diabetic coma – the bottom line is that Wren is not a well man."

Judge Alexander Mills acknowledged Wren's health issues but emphasized the severity of the offenses and the impact on the victim. He said, "It's clear there has been an impact and remains to be impact on the victim and the family, and I have taken that into account. Four years is the least I can impose in the light of the seriousness of the offences in this case."