16 hours ago
Paedophile jailed for 25 years complains prison guards have lost his teddy bear
A convicted paedophile has complained from behind bars that prison guards have 'lost' his teddy bear.
Shane Medhurst was jailed for 25 years last June after being found guilty of 14 counts of child sex abuse.
Among the charges included two counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13.
Medhurst, 58, was jailed at Reading Crown Court, and is currently serving his sentence at the 1,100-capacity HMP High Down jail in Surrey.
The jail has two dedicated wings sex offenders, with around 400 inmates convicted of sex offences.
Writing in the latest edition of prisoner publication Inside Time, Medhurst said he was really 'into arts and crafts' and had started making his own teddy bears.
One in particular, which he called Mr Bear - a bright yellow bear with a blue and white striped outfit and a hat - was his 'favourite' and had taken him three weeks to make.
He said other teddies that he made had been sent to family and friends, and had loaned Mr Bear to the library inside the prison - but three weeks later he'd vanished.
Medhurst said it was a scandal his bear had been stolen.
The teddy was described as having a black pen in its pocket, a copy of The Shawshank Redemption in one paw, and a clock in the other.
Medhurst's bear also had a bed with a blue cup and plate lying on the top of it, a mini copy of Inside Time on the pillow, and a plaque saying 'Reading helps your time fly'.'
The convicted prisoner said he had presented the bear to a 'delighted' library staff member seven weeks prior, but despite promises it would be displayed, Medhurst noticed it was still not on show weeks later.
He wrote: 'I found the member of staff who I gave the model to and asked him if there was a problem, only to be told that Mr Bear had been stolen from the store room about a week after I had presented him.
'My question is - how the hell can a bloody great big yellow and blue bear measuring 9' x6' x4' go missing in a supposedly-secure prison?
'Did he do a Shawshank and sneak out through the sewer pipe?'
Medhurst said he was upset that the prison guards 'knew nothing' about the alleged theft.
The paedophile was found guilty last year at Reading Crown Court of multiple counts involving children under the age of 13.
His charges included five counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.
He was also convicted of one count of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration.
HMP High Down in Surrey declined to comment.
