Graham Southwell found guilty of 19 counts of child sex offenses | GBC – News from Gibraltar

Graham Southwell (63) was found guilty of 19 child sexual offenses.

The former GHA and St John Ambulance volunteer has been on trial in the High Court for four weeks.

It took the jury less than 90 minutes to unanimously convict him on all counts.

After four weeks, the day the victims and their families had been waiting for came.

They took their seats in the courtroom, filling every seat.

Chief Justice Anthony Dudley admitted emotions were high but asked the gallery not to react to the verdict regardless of the outcome.

It didn’t take long for the jury to reach a unanimous decision.

Judge Dudley addressed the jury, thanking them for their service.

He admitted that the trial was very demanding and difficult, therefore, due to its length and nature, he exempted 9 jurors from serving as jurors for the next 8 years.

After the verdict was announced, defense lawyer Robert Fishel KC filed a motion to release his client on bail.

However, prosecutor Johan Fernandez opposed bail, stating that the nature of the crimes made him a danger to society.

Judge Dudley made it clear to the court that Southwell would undoubtedly receive an immediate custodial sentence but would need some time to consider his bail application.

Southwell will be sentenced on December 11.

RGP statement

Commissioner of the Royal Gibraltar Constabulary Richard Ullger said:

“Firstly, we want to thank the victims of this case, who have shown enormous courage in reporting these heinous crimes, and for the trust they have placed in the Royal Gibraltar Constabulary to bring Southwell to justice.

“We hope that these sentences send a clear message that our officers will relentlessly pursue justice and pursue those who sexually assault children whenever such abuse occurs.

“We would like to thank everyone who was involved in supporting this extremely complex, lengthy and sensitive investigation, including officers from our security team who worked hard to gather evidence against Southwell. This is an example of the invisible policing that many specialized teams of officers carry out.”

Detective Sergeant Jo Ullger, who leads the RGP’s safeguarding team, continued: ‘We hope these sentences will help victims find some closure and allow them to move on with their lives.

“As this case demonstrates, we take all reports of recent sexual offenses seriously and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.

“I would like to thank my officers for investigating such a complex case and some of the most heinous crimes. This took an emotional toll. We can happily say that justice has been served.

“Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse – no matter how long ago – should report it to the RGP by calling 200 72500 or reporting it on our website.”