A former teacher and church worker from Saltford received a 30-month jail sentence, having been found guilty of 13 sexual offences with young girls. Philip Barlow faced a total of 29 charges but was convicted on eight charges of sexual assault with a girl under 13 and five of sexual activity with a girl under 16.
Bournemouth Crown Court
Barlow, of Raleigh Road, walked free from court however, having already served the requisite term in prison when found guilty of similar offences at Bristol Crown Court in 2011. He received a 4 year prison sentence then but was granted leave to appeal in 2013. The High Court ordered a retrial which commenced at Bournemouth Crown Court in February. All media reference to the original trial had to be removed and The Week In was one of a number of publications forced to delete items from its website archives.
Although the verdict was delivered in March, reporting restrictions were imposed by the judge which meant we were unable to publish the story until today. It has now emerged that in sentencing Barlow, a former youth worker at the Grace Bible Church in Saltford, Judge Peter Johnson branded him a “hypocrite, liar and a paedophile.” He considered Barlow manipulative who showed “staggering arrogance and hypocrisy overlaid by false humility.”
The 33-year-old was married with a child at the time of the original trial in 2011. His father was the pastor at the Saltford church. In addition to the prison sentence Barlow’s name was added to the sex offenders’ register for life.
