A PAEDOPHILE tried to use his status as a former suspect in the region's most notorious child murder to escape justice for his own child sex crimes.
Stephen Hines, 60, was arrested three times during the investigation into the 1984 abduction, sexual assault and murder of nine-year-old Christopher Laverack, but was never charged.
He was the schoolboy's brother-in-law and the last person to see him before he was abducted from the home Hines shared with Christopher's sister, Kim.
Humberside Police's chief suspect, convicted paedophile Melvyn Read, died in prison from cancer in 2008.
Hines, of Orchard Park Road, Orchard Park, Hull, has now admitted sexually assaulting two girls aged eight and ten.
But Hull Crown Court heard he made "strenuous denials" when questioned by police and claimed his victims had a "motive" for making their complaints.
John Thackray, prosecuting, said: "He was to say he was a suspect in the Christopher Laverack murder in Beverley Beck, and that was the reason they were complaining, because they'd heard about it and over time he'd been called names and that must be the reason they were making these false allegations."
Hines also formally denied the charges when they were put to him at an earlier hearing, but pleaded guilty shortly before his trial was due to start.
The court heard he abused the girls separately and on both occasions, Judge Mark Bury told him, he "drank to excess to release your inhibitions".
Mr Thackray said the abuse had been devastating for the girls and left their parents "heartbroken".
The younger girl had started wetting the bed again and the older one feared she would be scarred for life.
The elder girl, who was attacked first, also felt "guilty", Mr Thackray said, for not having reported it earlier.
She had not done so because Hines told her he would "hate" her if she did, which the girl misheard as "hurt" her.
She cried herself to sleep after the assault.
Hines told the other victim: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Don't tell anybody."
When he was confronted about it before police were called, he responded: "As if I'd do owt like that."
Hines, who is in poor health, last week asked for sentencing to be delayed for a week for the completion of a medical report, but when it was produced yesterday it contained little that was not already in a pre-sentence report.
He also applied for Judge Bury to be disqualified from sentencing him, as he felt the judge had shown "animosity" towards him by refusing to grant him bail while the medical report was completed.
Judge Bury rejected the application.
Paul Genney, for Hines, said he had endured a "wretched" upbringing, which included his mother committing suicide, being taken into care at the age of eight, and having "brutality visited upon him by his stepfather".
The court heard Hines had previous convictions but none for sexual offences.
Jailing Hines for a total of five years, the judge told him: "I'll make it plain, I'm sentencing you for the two offences to which you pleaded guilty; there's not a shred of evidence you have committed any other offence."
Hines must sign the sex offenders register for life and was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order for an indefinite period.
A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: "The victims in this incident deserve praise from police for having the confidence to come forward and help to ensure that no other people are subjected to the terrible ordeal they went through.
"It is now hoped that the victims, and their families, can put this behind them and get on with their lives, knowing that justice has been done."
