- June Kelly
- Home Affairs Correspondent, BBC News
Sarah Sand’s three sons (from left to right), Alfie, Reece and Bradley, opened up to BBC News about the sexual abuse they faced for the first time.
Eight years ago, Sarah Sands stabbed an elderly man convicted of pedophilia to death. Her three sons recently opened up to BBC News about the sexual abuse they have faced. and their feelings about the crimes committed by their mothers.
On an autumn evening in 2014, Sarah Sand walked out of her home in East London. wearing a hoodie over his head and armed with a knife
He went to a nearby apartment. which is an old man’s residence After arriving, he stabbed Michael Pleastead 8 times until he died.
Mr. Pleasant, 77, has been convicted of sexual offenses against children. At the time of the incident, he was facing additional charges. After being accused of sexually harassing a boy who lives in the same neighborhood in Silvertown in London.
As usual in cases like this, the name of the victim is not revealed during the trial for legal reasons. But now the BBC can report for the first time that the boy victims in the case are the three sons of Sarah Sands.
Sarah’s eldest son, Bradley, was 12 years old at the time of the incident. he waived his right to remain anonymous last year to reveal the story to the media and in an interview with BBC News his twins, Alfie and Reece, decided to do the same. The couple were 11 years old when their mother murdered the man who sexually abused them.
Bradley, now 20, and Alfie and Reece, 19, opened up about the difficulty of growing up with their mother in prison. But at the same time, I feel admiration and gratitude for my mother.
“It made us feel safer. Even if it doesn’t stop the nightmare But it gives me a sense of security. Because we don’t have to be afraid to walk down the street and find him on the corner.”
“He lives across the street from us,” Bradley captioned. “I opened this window and saw his house.”
Reece said “It’s good to know he’s dead. But it didn’t stop me from wondering what had happened. We often wake up crying and calling for our mother. “
CCTV captured the night Sarah committed.
Before Sarah The single mother and her children moved to Silvertown a few months ago.
She was familiar with Mr. Please. who is a popular person in the neighborhood He works in a newspaper and magazine shop. made me know many children and parents in that area
“I thought he was a lovely old man. I cooked him food, looked after him, and went with him when I had time,” remembers Sarah.
Shortly afterwards, he persuaded Mr. Plystead Sarah’s children to help in the shop. and finally became close to the three children to the point of inviting him to his house
But in one night The twins tell Sarah to go to Mr. Plystead. The old man had raped them a week later, and Bradley said the same thing had been done.
Sarah takes the matter to the police. Mr Pleestead was arrested and charged with sexually abusing her son.
pending trial The judge granted Mr Pleestead bail and he returned to his home. This was very upsetting for Sarah. She took the baby and moved to her mother’s small house.
“The whole world stood still.”
on the night of the crime Sarah said she wanted to plead with Mr Plystead to plead guilty so that her children would not have to testify about the terrible things that happened in court.
“I didn’t know what I was doing there,” Sarah recalls. “I realized I had made a big mistake. He showed no remorse at all, and said, “Your child is a liar.” The whole world stood still. I hold a knife in my left hand. and remembers that he tried to take the knife away.” Sarah insists that she did not intend to kill Mr.
a few hours later Sarah decides to turn herself in at the police station. with knives and clothes covered in blood
on trial The judge said he thought Sarah He said she “didn’t rationalize what carrying a knife that night would lead to,” but noted that she “possibly thought she could use it.”
Sarah was found guilty of reckless murder. It is not premeditated murder. The court reasoned that he was unable to control himself. And he ordered her prison for 3 and a half years, but later increased the sentence to 7 and a half years because it was decided that the punishment in the lower court was too weak. The appeal court judge argued that Sarah did not try to summon Plystead’s emergency services.
Sarah has served almost four years in prison, admitting “that I acted as a vigilante,” and now she is aware of her crimes. “I was raised to take responsibility for my actions.”
Michael Pleastead was found guilty of 24 sex offenses over three decades.
When the mother is in prison The three boys had to be in the care of their grandmother. They said that life was not easy at all. because they have to live together in a cramped room with no personal space
Alfie told the BBC: what happened to them They were “missing a lot of things” in their lives. At that time, the three children were allowed to visit their mother in prison once a month.
“Sometimes we want to tell Mum about our problems,” said Alfie.
Sarah remembers, “The children were angry with me…we were very close before I went to prison but suddenly I wasn’t with them anymore. It’s very bad for the child.”
Asked if she felt any remorse for taking Plystead’s life, Sarah replied, “Of course…I’m the one who gave birth to life on this earth. I never thought I’d be facing legal action for taking someone’s life from this world.”
name change
At the trial it was revealed that Mr Pleestead had changed his first and last name from Robin Molt to conceal his conviction for 24 sex offenses over three decades. but no one in the area knows This included the local authorities who provided him with accommodation.
This led Sarah to join a campaign for governments to tighten regulations on changing the names of sex offenders. because in Mr Pleasant’s case the name change prevented local authorities from checking his criminal record. And enabling this type of person to go into work involving children, such as schools, and then use their authority to abuse children.
A UK Home Office spokesman said: This matter has been reviewed. But the details cannot be revealed because there is sensitive information that ex-sex offenders could exploit the system.
After her release, Sarah was reunited with her three children.
After Sarah was released in 2018, she and her three sons have rekindled their relationship.
“Mum tried to support us,” Reece recalls. “It was fantastic and made us realize the years we had lost.”
Bradley said “Nothing can break family ties.”
The three young men said As a child, he regretted revealing his sexual abuse. “If we keep this a secret I’ll probably continue to live with mum. We would have been able to go to the mall, go to the movies, and do what the average 12-year-old would do,” Bradley said.
But now they know it’s important for victims to disclose what happened. “You should come out and speak … because if you don’t, things will only get worse.”
