Paedophile housed in care home near primary school is caged for 16 years for 40-year offence spree

A PAEDOPHILE who admitted a string of sexual offences against underage girls over more than 40 years has been jailed for more than 16 years.

Colin Disney, 69, (pictured above) abused seven girls between 1972 and 2016, but his offences only came to light when an assault was reported to Essex Police in June 2017.

Last week it emerged he was living in a care home in Devon just 500 metres from a primary school after his sentence was delayed by eight months due to court backlogs caused by the coronavirus pandemic and health issues.

Disney, formerly from Rochford, Essex, admitted 17 offences, including indecent assault, sexual touching, and gross indecency on girls under the age of 14 at Basildon Crown Court in January, as revealed by Essex News and Investigations. He was sentenced there on Wednesday to 11 years and 10 months in prison with an extra five years extended sentence on grounds of public protection.

Stuart Smith, of Essex Police, said: “Colin Disney is a dangerous and prolific sexual predator who abused children for more than four decades. “His crimes are abhorrent and will have had a lasting impact on his victims. “He will now spend the foreseeable future in prison and Essex is safer place for that."