Abuser blamed ‘fat’ wife for vile child sex attacks

A perverted husband has told a court he only turned to child abuse because his wife got too fat for him to fancy her.
Anthony Bunn has failed in his sentence appealAnthony Bunn has failed in his sentence appeal
Anthony Bunn has failed in his sentence appeal

Sick Anthony Michael Bunn, 51, a former RAF engineer who served in both Gulf wars, insisted he was no paedophile, despite his shocking sex attacks on an eight-year-old girl.

Bunn, who worked for British Aerospace after leaving the forces, said he had never had a sexual interest in children before.

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He said his offending “commenced when his attraction to his wife had diminished by reason of her gaining weight.”

He blamed his sordid behaviour on being “deprived of adult sexual pleasure.”

Bunn, from Marton, was jailed for eight years, with a four-year extended licence period, at Preston Crown Court, on March 24.

He admitted a raft of child sex offences - including two rapes - and Judge Pamela Badley ruled him a “dangerous” offender.

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But he challenged his punishment before Lady Justice Macur, Mr Justice Jay and Mr Justice Goss, sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court.

Bunn had an exemplary service record in the RAF prior to his offending, and he insisted he had not been attracted to children before his wife began to pile on the pounds.

His lawyers said he had been assessed in a psychiatric report as unlikely to pose a future risk to children and the finding of dangerousness was therefore unjustified.

The court also heard that Bunn was wracked with guilt for what he had done.

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He had cut his own throat with a razor in a “dramatic” gesture “with the appearance of an attempt at suicide” before confessing.

Lady Justice Macur said: “He considered that his attraction to his victim had commenced when his attraction to his wife had diminished by reason of her gaining weight.

“The fact that he was not having sexual relations with his wife appeared to have triggered his distorted thinking and conduct towards his victim”.

Refusing to grant him permission to appeal, however, the judge added: “We are firm in our view that the judge was quite right in assessing him as dangerous.

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“He might in the future be in another household where he is being deprived of adult sexual pleasure.

“He had groomed the child and corrupted her. This offending was covert and secretive.

“This was an intelligent man who knew it was wrong but could not stop himself continuing with the behaviour.

“This particular sentence was if anything lenient, given the nature of the offending and the age of the victim concerned”.

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