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Court to decide if Graham Ovenden's sentence was too lenient Court to decide if Graham Ovenden's sentence was too lenient
(about 2 hours later)
An internationally renowned artist who avoided prison after being found guilty of a string of sex charges against children will see his sentence referred to the court of appeal for being unduly lenient, the attorney general's office has said. An internationally renowned artist who walked free from court despite being convicted of a string of sexual offences against child models is to have his sentence reviewed by the appeal court.
Graham Ovenden, from Cornwall, received 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, after he was convicted of six charges of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault relating to three girls. Graham Ovenden, 70, escaped with a suspended jail term after the sentencing judge decided that he was no longer a threat to children.
The attorney general, Dominic Grieve, has decided to refer the 70-year-old's case to the court of appeal where judges will decide whether or not to increase the sentence handed down by Judge Graham Cottle, at Plymouth crown court in June. The sentence provoked complaints from groups campaigning for victims of sexual abuse who claimed it sent out the wrong message about how seriously such attacks were taken.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said: "Having carefully reviewed this case, the attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC MP, has decided to refer the sentence of Graham Ovenden to the court of appeal for review. Having studied the case, the attorney general, Dominic Grieve, has decided to refer the matter to the appeal court in London, it emerged on Tuesday.
"The case will in due course be heard by three court of appeal judges who will decide whether or not the sentence is unduly lenient and whether they should increase the sentence." A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said: "The case will in due course be heard by three court of appeal judges who will decide whether or not the sentence is unduly lenient and whether they should increase the sentence."
Ovenden, whose explicit portraits of young naked girls have hung in galleries across the world, was found guilty of abusing child models in the 1970s and 1980s.
Although the sentencing judge, Graham Cottle, told Ovenden he was sure that he had a sexual interest in children, the artist was allowed to walk free from Exeter crown court.
Separately it has emerged that police are looking at allegations that victims of Ovenden have been identified on the internet.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police, which led the inquiry into Ovenden's activities, said: "We can confirm that we are investigating an allegation that victims in the court case have been identified on the internet.
"Inquiries are underway and no arrests have been made."
Ovenden has refused to apologise to his victims, insisting he has done nothing wrong, and has launched an appeal against his conviction.
He studied under the pop artist Sir Peter Blake and during the time of his offences worked largely from an estate called Barley Splatt on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
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