Serial child sex abuser applies to court to appeal conviction

A serial child sex abuser who was jailed for 39 years by the Supreme Court last year has submitted an appeal on his conviction.

Graham Southwell, 64, of Varyl Begg Estate, was convicted on 19 counts of child sexual abuse, including rape, sexual assault, and sexual activity after a month-long jury trial which concluded in October 2024.

Jurors found Southwell had sexually abused five children on separate incidents spanning almost 30 years in various locations across Gibraltar.

On Tuesday morning, Southwell’s lawyer Shane Danino submitted to the court that his client wished to appeal the conviction.

Southwell had previously submitted an appeal on sentence through his lawyer, the late Robert Fischel, KC.

The matter of the appeal on conviction was dealt with during a permission hearing at the Court of Appeal, presided by Chief Justice Anthony Dudley.

Mr Justice Dudley questioned the delay in applying for an appeal on conviction, given that an appeal on sentence had been submitted some time before.

The Chief Justice said the permission hearing should be heard by the full Court of Appeal and adjourned the matter to a later date when the judges would be present.

Southwell was sentenced in January 2025 to 39 years, of which he is to serve no less than half before he is eligible for parole.

This would mean that Southwell would be at least 82 years old, with Mr Justice Dudley stating at the time that, by that point, he would “not pose any danger”.

The sentence was the longest determinate sentence - meaning a sentence of a fixed length - imposed in recent history.

Southwell denied the charges throughout the trial.

Johann Fernandez appeared for the Crown.