Pensioner jailed for 10 years for child sex offences

A 76-year-old man has been jailed for a decade after he was found guilty of multiple sexual offences against children.

Peter Lazarides, from Lawrence Weston, was found guilty at a trial at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday (22 May) and was sentenced on the same day to 10 years in prison.

The trial started on Monday 12 May and Lazarides faced 20 counts. He was found guilty of 16 counts which were committed between 2017-2020 against four children.

The offences included causing a child to watch a sexual act, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexually assaulting a child and exposure.

Lazarides, over a three-year-period, made children watch porn, encouraged them to commit sexual acts on him and he sexually assaulted them.

The offences were initially reported in January 2022 with further victims coming forward in 2024 and 2025.

The victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shared the following statements about how Lazarides’ crimes have impacted them:

One said: “The last few years of my life have been on hold, justice has been served but my life will never be the same. I’ve lost all trust in humans and that will follow me for the rest of my life.

“It wasn’t just me who was affected, this also happened to very venerable people and I always wonder whether I had spoken out sooner I could’ve stopped that from happening to them, that’s a guilt I will carry for the rest of my life.

“The defendant showed no remorse and smiled throughout the whole trial, even shouting verbal abuse at me as he was being sentence. But finally my voice has been heard, and I got justice so thank you to the jury and especially [one of the lead investigating officers] Lucy Jeffery who has been incredible throughout all of this.”

The second victim said: “Being in court the past couple of weeks has been really tough on me and the other victims. I am so proud of them and myself for speaking up in court to get justice for us all.

“This has affected my home and work life massively and I will never forgive Peter for making it tough to keep relationships alive with people I care about so much. He showed no remorse in court by smirking and laughing at us as well as making remarks at us at the sentencing.

“That will live with me forever, seeing him not seeming to care at all. I wish he could just admit all the disgusting things he did, but I know he never will.”

Another victim said: “It impacted me in a lot of ways. If someone touches me in a certain way it makes me uncomfortable, it makes me overthink, it makes me not trust anyone, it makes me more aggressive to new people.

“I always have a wall up until I fully gain someone’s trust. It has impacted my future relationships, because what if I am scared to open up to my partner. It is also something people can use against me.”

The fourth victim said: “I feel scared and nervous when I’m around people, mainly men, who I don’t know, especially when I’m not with anyone I don’t fully trust. For example, if I’m in a shop and a man walks past me and my friends, I will stand extra close to her or just worry on what might happen. I overthink everything when it comes to going out when it’s dark, are we going to be safe? Are we going to come back home safely? What could happen?”

Officers in the case, DC Lucy Jeffery and DC Laura Britton, said: “The strength of character the victims have shown cannot be put into words. They have demonstrated wisdom beyond their years, bravely supported one another through the trial and spoke out against Lazarides.

“The crimes he committed against these children are disgusting and he has shown absolutely no remorse or regret for his actions. He has had a lasting and negative impact on their lives and, as some of our victims’ describe, he has cast a shadow over their childhood.

“I am glad we were able to seek justice for the victims and we hope this result will allow them to move forward.”