Sidney Cooke 3337708 225430700 2008-07-13T17:35:42Z Redwhiteandblue2 6710292 Added British rapists category. Capitalised letters where needed. '''Sidney Cooke''' (also known as '''Hissing Sid'''), (born [[18 April]] [[1927]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] convicted [[pedophilia|paedophile]] serving two [[life sentence]]s for a string of [[rape]]s against young boys. Along with three accomplices &ndash; [[Leslie Bailey]], [[Robert Oliver (paedophile)|Robert Oliver]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/65029.stm|title=Fears over release of pedophile|date=1998-03-13|publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> and [[Lennie Smith]] &ndash; Cooke was imprisoned in 1989 for the [[manslaughter]] of Jason Swift in 1985. Jason was a fourteen year old boy, one of many the gang had brutalized, sexually [[torture]]d, and [[prostitute]]d over a number of years. Cooke was sentenced to 19 years in [[prison]], but was [[parole]]d in 1998 eight years early after convincing an [[appeal|appeals court]] that Bailey (who was deceased) was the ringleader of the paedophile gang. The gang is believed to have killed at least nine victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19991006/ai_n14278247|title=Paedophile admits to string of sex attacks|date=1999-10-06}}</ref> Bailey had informed authorities that Cooke was among those who murdered a 7-year-old boy called Mark Tildesley, in [[Wokingham]], [[Berkshire]] in June 1984, but his role in the death was not investigated until years later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/95133.stm|title=Child killer could face new charge| date=1998-05-17|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> The boy's body has never been found. Mark disappeared while visiting a funfair in Wokingham on the evening of Friday [[1 June]] [[1984]]. It was believed he was lured away from the fair by Cooke, who had manned a test your strength machine, on the promise of a 50p bag of sweets. His bicycle was found chained to railings nearby. In his job as a fairground worker the predatory paedophile was able to travel the country preying on vulnerable youngsters and using the opportunity to meet boys and lure them into depraved homosexual orgies. "Cooke is a very hard and resilient man. He's a very strong character but he's an evil man." These were the words of Detective Superintendent David Bright, who was involved in the hunt for the predator. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/570385.stm BBC News | UK | Cooke: The predatory paedophile<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Three of the gang, Cooke, Bailey, and Smith were put to trial in 1991 over Mark's murder but only Bailey was charged as they all blamed each other. He was subsequently himself murdered in prison by two fellow inmates in 1993. The [[Crown Prosecution Service]] declined to prosecute Cooke for Mark Tildesley's murder as he was already in prison for the manslaughter of Jason Swift. Cooke still refuses to discuss where they disposed of Mark's body after they killed him. Cooke was paroled in 1998, causing public outrage exacerbated by a plan to move him to a hostel near two schools,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60640313.html|title=Outrage as child sex beast moves in near schools|date=1998-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60683508.html?refid=gg_x_02|title=Protesters force cops to move sex killer|date=1998-04-20}}</ref> while police refused to disclose where he was to be moved,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/81573.stm|title=Secret meeting on home for paedophile|date=1998-04-22|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> smuggling him out of jail to avoid a vigil for his victims.<ref name=vigildodging>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/74151.stm|title=Child killer moved ahead of vigil|date=1998-04-06|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> He admitted that he might reoffend.<ref name=vigildodging/> In 1999, a year after he was paroled, Cooke was arrested again on 18 sex charges occurring from 1972-1981 (which included repeated abuse and assault of two boys and a single-instance of rape againt a young woman), many of which had come to public attention after they were reported on in the [[Channel 4]] documentary [[Dispatches (TV series)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990421/ai_n14239262|title=Man in court on 14 sex charges|date=1998-04-21}}</ref><ref name=cookeadmits>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/uk/newsid_465000/465845.stm|title=Paedophile admits child sex acts|date=1999-10-05|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> He admitted a string of ten sex attacks against two brothers over several months in 1972-73, but denied the remaining eight charges, which were abandoned by the judge.<ref name=cookeadmits/> He blamed sexual abuse he claimed he had suffered as a child. He received two life sentences, with only a five year parole period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/569083.stm|title=Notorious paedophile begins life sentence|date=1999-12-17|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Police continued to investigate the killing of Mark. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/570385.stm Cooke: The predatory paedophile] from [[BBC News]] *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/82935.stm Protests and riots over Cooke] from BBC News {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Sidney}} [[Category:1927 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:English murderers]] [[Category:English murderers of children]] [[Category:Pedophilia]] [[Category:British rapists]]