A worker at a children’s home regularly had sex with a vulnerable young resident after tricking her into believing he wanted to marry her. Martin Ozols’ manipulation of the girl came to light after another girl at the home complained about him.
And at Warwick Crown Court this week he was jailed for four years after finally pleading guilty on the day of his trial to two charges of sexual activity with a child. The 60-year-old, of ross Road, oventry, was also given a consecutive six-month sentence for two charges of downloading indecent images of children, which he also admitted.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and given a sexual offences prevention order banning him from having any contact or communication with any child. Nick evine, defending, disputed the prosecution's claim Ozols had got the job to enable him to abuse girls Judge Robert Orme told Ozols: "You exploited your position at that institution. She was 15 and highly vulnerable, and you exploited that to take advantage of her." The court was told in March 2009 Ozols, who had no previous convictions, began working as a carer at a residential children’s home in north Warwickshire which cares for children from disturbed backgrounds or with learning difficulties.
In July the following year Ozols was suspended after a girl at the home accused him of a sexual offence, which he still denies and it has been ordered to lie on the court file. She said Ozols also seemed really close to a 15-year-old at the home who he was keen to take for drives. That teenager said she was in a relationship with Ozols and he had given her a Valentine's ay card and an engagement ring. She told the police he had first had sex with her on the back seat of the home’s mini-bus after stopping in a lay-by as he was driving her back from a visit to her family.
After that they had sex on up to seven occasions, during which Ozols never wore protection because he knew from her medical records that it was not necessary. Prosecutor Matthew Brook said the girl was particularly vulnerable to sexual advances because of her background, which he said was set out in a report on her. “He told her that if anyone found out he would go to prison and she would go to a secure unit, and he knew that was something of which she was particularly afraid," Mr Brook added. Ozols also sent her love letters and dirty texts, and on his phone police found a picture he had taken of her trying on a French maid’s outfit in an Ann Summers shop.
He denied taking the picture and denied any sexual contact with her, claiming he was being set up. On his computer were a total of 494 indecent images of children, including 25 classed as level four showing adults in sexual activity with children. He denied downloading them, claiming they were already on the computer when he bought it from a man in a pub – but the police checked and found the pub was closed at the time.
Mr Devine said Ozols had worked in professions and businesses dealing with children for 30-odd years without any hint of such behaviour in the past. He said Ozols had shown some remorse.
If you were subject to abuse or you know of a friend or relative who was please get in touch in the strictest of confidence.
