BREAKING NEWS: Guilty of 17 sex charges (From This is The West Country)

BREAKING NEWS: Guilty of 17 sex charges

4:57pm Thursday 2nd July 2009

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AFTER more than 20 hours of deliberation the jury in the trial of a 55-year-old Milverton man has returned their final verdicts.

Father-of-three Martyn Coles, of Creedwell Orchard, was accused of 26 sexual offences against six young girls and has been found guilty of 17.

Judge Graham Hume Jones ordered the jury to return not guilty verdicts on two counts.

Yesterday the jury returned guilty verdicts on 15 counts ranging from rape to indecent assault and found him not guilty of another.

This afternoon the jury found Coles guilty of two counts including rape and not guilty of a further five, which also included rape.

Coles did not appear in court to hear the final verdicts.

Judge Graham Hume Jones said he was considering an “indeterminate sentence” where a minimum amount of time is given – but no maximum.

Judge Jones said to the jury: “I pass heartfelt thanks of the crown court.

“This has been a very long and arduous case for you and very upsetting and unpleasant.

“You approached this case in an able, responsible way.

“We all understand how inconvenient it is to come to court and sit on a jury in a normal case and very much more so in this case.”

Sentencing has been put on hold and is likely to take place before the end of July.

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