Sidney Cooke

Sidney Cooke (also known as Hissing Sid), (born 18 April 1927) is a British convicted paedophile serving two life sentences for a string of rapes against young boys.

Along with three accomplices – Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver, [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/65029.stm|title=Fears over release of pedophile|date=1998-03-13|publisher=BBC News] and Lennie Smith – Cooke was sentenced to nineteen years in prison in May 1989 for the manslaughter of Jason Swift, in November 1985. Jason was a fourteen year old boy, one of many the gang had brutalized, sexually tortured, and prostituted over a number of years.

Leslie Bailey had informed authorities that Cooke was among those who murdered a 7-year-old boy called Mark Tildesley, in Wokingham, Berkshire but Cooke's role in the murder was not investigated until years later, in 1999, by which time Bailey was dead. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/95133.stm|title=Child killer could face new charge| date=1998-05-17|publisher=BBC News] .

Mark disappeared while visiting a funfair in Wokingham on the evening of Friday 1 June 1984. It is believedweasel-inline he was lured away from the fair by Cooke, who had manned a "test your strength" machine, on the promise of a 50p bag of sweets. His bicycle was found chained to railings nearby. In his job as a fairground worker, Cooke was able to travel the country preying on vulnerable youngsters and luring them into depraved homosexual orgies.Fact|date=September 2008 In 1991, the Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute Cooke for Mark Tildesley's murder as he was already in prison for the manslaughter of Jason Swift.

The boy's body has never been found and even now, Cooke still refuses to discuss where they disposed of Mark's body after they had killed him.Fact|date=September 2008

Cooke however, managed to get his sentence reduced to 16 years on appeal in 1989, and was paroled nine years later in April 1998. He convinced an appeals court that Bailey (who was killed in prison in October 1993) was the ringleader of the gang, who are believed to have killed at least nine victims. [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19991006/ai_n14278247|title=Paedophile admits to string of sex attacks|date=1999-10-06]

Cooke's parole caused huge public outrage. This was exacerbated by a plan to move him to a hostel near two schools, [cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60640313.html|title=Outrage as child sex beast moves in near schools|date=1998-04-19] [cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60683508.html?refid=gg_x_02|title=Protesters force cops to move sex killer|date=1998-04-20] and Cooke himself admitting that he might reoffend, and whilst in prison refusing to take part in rehabilitation sessions.

Police refused to disclose the location where he was to be moved, [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/81573.stm|title=Secret meeting on home for paedophile|date=1998-04-22|publisher=BBC News] smuggling him out of jail to avoid a vigil for his victims.cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/74151.stm|title=Child killer moved ahead of vigil|date=1998-04-06|publisher=BBC News] There were several demonstrations against Cooke's release. As the police feared for his safety, he was forced to live in a suite of cells at Yeovil Police station, but on 26 January 1999, he was again arrested and charged with committing eighteen sex offences which occurred between 1972 and 1981. These included repeated abuse and assault of two brothers and a single-instance of rape against a young woman. Many of the offences had come to public attention after they were reported on in the Channel 4 documentary Dispatches (TV series). [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990421/ai_n14239262|title=Man in court on 14 sex charges|date=1998-04-21] cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/uk/newsid_465000/465845.stm|title=Paedophile admits child sex acts|date=1999-10-05|publisher=BBC News]

At his trial on 5 October, 1999, Cooke pleaded guilty to carrying out ten sex attacks against the two brothers in 1972 and 1973. He admitted to having carried out five counts of indecent assault and five counts of buggery but denied the remaining eight charges, which were four counts of rape, three further counts of indecent assault, and one of buggery, that occurred in 1981. These were abandoned by the judge, who ordered them to lie on file.. Cooke blamed the sexual abuse that he claimed he had suffered himself as a child for his actions. He received two life sentences, and the judge told Cooke that he would only be considered for release after he had served a five year jail sentence. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/569083.stm|title=Notorious paedophile begins life sentence|date=1999-12-17|publisher=BBC News] . He is still behind bars today for these offences.

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/570385.stm Cooke: The predatory paedophile] from BBC News
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/82935.stm Protests and riots over Cooke] from BBC News