The father of S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole was jailed at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, January 31, after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with a 14-year-girl.

Gerald Cattermole, 50, of Artisan Crescent, St Albans, was jailed for two years and nine months by Judge Colin Coulston after admitting bedding the girl on two occasions last year and twice indecently assaulting her 14-year-old friend.

The court heard that over a three day period in October, unemployed Cattermole watched pornographic videos with the girls at his top-floor housing association flat and plied them with cider and sweets as they re-enacted scenes from the film.

The divorcee's flat had become a magnet for young fans hoping to get the autograph of S Club 7 star Paul, 24, and police had warned Cattermole against allowing youngsters into his home.

Counsel for the prosecution Sean Minihan said that on October 17 Cattermole indecently assaulted one of the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as they sat in the living room watching a pornographic video that she had allegedly "begged" him to put on.

The two girls returned to the flat to watch the video again the following day. This time Cattermole had sex with one of the girls in the living room as her friend looked on.

On the evening of Saturday, October 19, the two girls returned to the flat, where the defendant offered them cider and allowed them to take a bath before re-enacting scenes from the pornographic video.

Mr Minihan said that on this occasion Cattermole again assaulted one of the girls before having full sex with her friend in the bedroom. Police were alerted when the girls failed to return home until the next day.

In mitigation, Ms Maryam Syed, defending, said Cattermole was filled with remorse, admitting to police during interviews that the incident was, "the worst mistake of my life."

Claiming that Cattermole had been depressed for a number of months preceding the incident, she said: "There is no suggestion that this defendant used his famous connection to lure or entice the girls. "It became common knowledge through no fault of his own that his son Paul was a member of S Club 7 and numerous children would knock on his door asking for Paul's autograph."

Ironically, the court heard that Cattermole had not had any contact with his famous son for the past eight years, and this had been "a source of great sadness" to him, said Ms Syed.

Jailing Cattermole, who will be placed on the sex offenders register, Judge Coulston drew attention to the 36 year age gap between the defendant and his victims. He said: "Men of 50 need to recognise that girls of 14, even if they are willing, are off limits so far as all forms of sexual contact is concerned."

February 14, 2002 13:38