A former pilot has been jailed for 12 and a half years for a string of child sex offences.
Bartle Frere, 51, of Shipton Gorge, was handed the prison term at Bournemouth Crown Court today, Wednesday 17 June 2015, after being convicted the previous day for 16 sex offences. These included eight charges of sexually assaulting a boy from West Dorset between April 2000 and January 2003, four counts of making indecent images of boys in India in 2009, arranging or facilitating the abuse of teenage boys in India between 2009 and 2013 and one charge of attempting to record a person doing a private act in 2012.
Frere was previously found guilty of six charges of possessing indecent images of children and two charges of arranging or facilitating the abuse of boys in India, following a trial in September 2014. The court heard that Frere was employed as a pilot by British Airways and regularly travelled to India and in particular the city of Chennai. Concerns were raised that he was arranging for young boys to visit his hotel room.
Frere’s Dorset victim, a man now aged in his 20s, told the court he was sexually abused by Frere between the ages of 12 and 15. The first instance happened after the victim had completed some jobs at Frere’s home.
Detective Sergeant Dave Wise, of Dorset Police’s Child Abuse Investigations Team, said: “I am pleased that justice has been served and Bartle Frere has been convicted of these terrible crimes. I would like to pay tribute to Frere’s victims and their families for the bravery they have shown throughout the whole court process. I would also like to thank British Airways for their co-operation.
“This case highlights that Dorset Police takes offences such as these very seriously and I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of sex offences to call Dorset Police on 101 or visit the NSPCC website for advice and support.”
