Child sex predator apologises for court outburst at victim

A CHILD sex predator jailed for more than 22 years earlier this month has been hauled before the court again to apologise.

At his sentencing hearing Dennis Johnson, aged 58, of Manchester Road, Westhoughton, verbally attacked one of his victims.

He had been found guilty following a trial, of 21 separate offences, including rape and sexual assault of three girls over more than 20 years.

Appearing at Bolton Crown Court again via a video link from prison, Johnson apologised for his outburst, claiming it had been due to receiving such a lengthy

sentence.

“It was sheer, sheer shock and I do apologise deeply,” he said.

Judge Graeme Smith said Johnson’s outburst gave him concerns that his remorse was not genuine and he was not admitting responsibility.

As a result he considered increasing Johnson’s sentence but decided to leave it unchanged.

He told Johnson: “I would not have been particularly happy if you had directed abuse at me but, unhappy is an understatement that you directed it at somebody who was already one of your victims.”

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