A Lincolnshire pensioner who was ordered to serve his twilight years in prison for horrific child sex abuse faces an anxious wait to learn the result of his bid for freedom.
Benjamin French Rodgers, 75, of Hagbeach Gate, Whaplode, Spalding, was jailed for 19 years in September 2012 for a string of sex offences against young girls.
Spalding is a city in Lincolnshire, UK, about 150 km north of London.
But Rodgers has always claimed he was set up by his alleged victims in a bid for compensation cash and today took his case to the Court of Appeal.
His lawyers, led by barrister Michael Cranmer-Brown, say the Lincoln Crown Court jury's guilty verdicts were "unsafe" and should be quashed.
However, after hearing a morning of argument, Lord Justice Davis said a decision on the appeal would not be made for several weeks.
"We will take time to consider our decision," said the judge.
"I am afraid judgment will not be ready much, if at all, before the end of June."
Former lorry driver Rodgers was jailed after he was found guilty of raping and molesting a girl under the age of 15 in the 1970s.
In the early 2000s, he offended again, targeting an even younger child for indecent assaults, the jury found.
However, he appealed when he learned, soon after his conviction, that his victims had given interviews about the case to a magazine.
Mr Cranmer-Brown said: "The article in Chat magazine had very significant inconsistencies which, if they appeared in a witness statement, would be of considerable assistance to the defence."
He said one of the now adult complainants had made allegations in the magazine interview which she had never made before.
She had also told the journalist that she had "blocked out" the first alleged attack, a claim which contrasted with the detailed account she had given at the trial, added the barrister.
Mr Cranmer-Brown said each victim had been paid £1,000 for their interview and been awarded £22,000 in compensation.
Contesting the appeal, the prosecution accepted that the evidence was new and could not have been obtained before the trial, but insisted that it did not affect the safety of the convictions.
The evidence against Rodgers was "strong", the court was told. Prosecutors always say that, don't they? Or am I watching too much TV.
Lord Justice Davis, Mr Justice Phillips and Judge Anthony Russell QC reserved their decision on the appeal.
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| Lincoln Crown Court |
Spalding is a city in Lincolnshire, UK, about 150 km north of London.
But Rodgers has always claimed he was set up by his alleged victims in a bid for compensation cash and today took his case to the Court of Appeal.
His lawyers, led by barrister Michael Cranmer-Brown, say the Lincoln Crown Court jury's guilty verdicts were "unsafe" and should be quashed.
However, after hearing a morning of argument, Lord Justice Davis said a decision on the appeal would not be made for several weeks.
 |
| Benjamin French Rodgers |
"We will take time to consider our decision," said the judge.
"I am afraid judgment will not be ready much, if at all, before the end of June."
Former lorry driver Rodgers was jailed after he was found guilty of raping and molesting a girl under the age of 15 in the 1970s.
In the early 2000s, he offended again, targeting an even younger child for indecent assaults, the jury found.
However, he appealed when he learned, soon after his conviction, that his victims had given interviews about the case to a magazine.
Mr Cranmer-Brown said: "The article in Chat magazine had very significant inconsistencies which, if they appeared in a witness statement, would be of considerable assistance to the defence."
He said one of the now adult complainants had made allegations in the magazine interview which she had never made before.
She had also told the journalist that she had "blocked out" the first alleged attack, a claim which contrasted with the detailed account she had given at the trial, added the barrister.
Mr Cranmer-Brown said each victim had been paid £1,000 for their interview and been awarded £22,000 in compensation.
Contesting the appeal, the prosecution accepted that the evidence was new and could not have been obtained before the trial, but insisted that it did not affect the safety of the convictions.
The evidence against Rodgers was "strong", the court was told. Prosecutors always say that, don't they? Or am I watching too much TV.
Lord Justice Davis, Mr Justice Phillips and Judge Anthony Russell QC reserved their decision on the appeal.
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