A paedophile confessed to his crimes and claimed his brother was innocent when his younger sibling was accused of sexually assaulting the same victim. Leon Woods subjected the girl to months of abuse before Kelan Woods also exploited her for his own perverted desires.
The former's crimes only came to light when he attended a police station and admitted his crimes after the latter was reported by the victim's dad. This led to both brothers sitting side by side in the dock, with one being jailed and the other being spared the same fate.
Brother's confession
Liverpool Crown Court heard Kelan Woods was first reported to police by the schoolgirl's dad following an incident in which the 23-year-old intimately touched her before inciting her to engage in sexual intercourse. Following his subsequent arrest, Leon Woods, aged 24 and of Chestnut Court in Widnes, then attended a police station and told officers his brother "wasn't responsible for anything" and confessed "it was him".
Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, described how the complainant subsequently went on to disclose to police how this defendant had previously sexually abused her over a period of around five months. This even saw him purchase a pregnancy test for her on one occasion.
Victim impact
Leon Woods has no previous convictions, while Kelan Woods, of Richmond Walk in Aberdeen, has offences for the possession of drugs in 2023 on his record. Mr Gibson added of the impact of their crimes on their victim: "She felt overwhelmed and extremely stressed by it all."
"She would have nightmares and struggled with her schoolwork. Every so often, it would come back to the forefront of her mind and that caused her difficulties. It caused her to cry. She tended to become rather a recluse and didn't go out with her friends so much in case something similar happened again. She was hoping to put this behind her and move on with her life."
Sentences handed down
Leon Woods admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child. Appearing suited in the dock, he nodded as he was jailed for 28 months on Thursday, August 27, while a woman left the courtroom in tears.
Kelan Woods was found guilty of two charges of sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity following a trial. Wearing a black hoodie and glasses and sporting shoulder length curly black hair, he was handed a 12-month imprisonment suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC told Leon Woods: "When you were a much younger person, but still significantly older than [victim's name], you indulged yourself sexually on her. I am quite satisfied it is proper to say, at the time that you did this, you were immature for your age. It may well be so even know."
"There was a delay of more than a year before you were charged. You satisfied yourself sexually at the expense of [victim's name] when you had no right do so. It has had a significant impact on her, undoubtedly."
Turning to Kelan Woods, Judge Medland added: "Following in the wake of your older brother's mistreatment of [victim's name], you decided, frankly, that you would have a go too. You indulged yourself sexually, but in a much less serious manner than your brother did."
"You still deny the offences, but the jury were sure that you were guilty. They were sure that she was telling truth and you were not. Because of the contents of the [pre-sentence] report, current sentencing practice indicates to me that there are reasons you can reform yourself satisfactorily within the community, and there are good prospects of rehabilitation."
Both brothers were also handed restraining orders which will ban them from contacting their victim for the next five years. They will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for the next decade.
