Operation Pallial: Man guilty of 1970s sex abuse

Graham Stridgeon leaving court

A 64-year-old man has pleaded guilty to abusing a boy aged under 16 in a case dating back to the 1970s.

Graham Joseph Stridgeon, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, admitted serious sexual assault and two charges of indecent assault.

The offences took place between June 1973 and December 1974 when Stridgeon was in his late teens.

He had been due to stand trial at Mold Crown Court. A number of other charges will now lie on file.

Judge Rhys Rowlands bailed Stridgeon until 15 October while a pre-sentence report is complied.

He said a custodial sentence would be inevitable.

No details were given in court about the circumstances of the case but these will be presented by the prosecution at sentencing.

The case stems from Operation Pallial, a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse at north Wales care homes.