A man on the run since 1977 was finally sentenced September 2, 2006 for molesting three girls in his Costa Mesa motor home. Under the eligible penalty based on the laws in 1977, he received four life terms equal to seven years each, and will not be eligible for parole for 28 years. George England, was convicted of four counts of child molestation 28 years ago, but fled the state after his conviction and prior to sentencing when the judge allowed him time to "settle his affairs".
HISTORY
England served in the US Army from 1963 to 1966, during which time his tour of duty took him to Korea. After his discharge from the Army, he worked in Vietnam as a civilian contractor. In 1972, England returned to the United States from Vietnam, bringing with him a 5-year-old girl, Jane Doe #1, whom he falsely claimed to have adopted. Jane Doe #1 was actually purchased from her Vietnamese mother for money.
THE CASE
In 1977, England used Jane Doe #1, then 10, to lure her playmates, Jane Doe #2, 10, Jane Doe #3, 8, and Jane Doe #4, 10, to his motor home in Costa Mesa for sleepovers. On three different occasions, England sexually molested the little girls. On October 21, 1977, England was convicted of four counts of child molestation for three victims; Jane Doe #2, Jane Doe #3, and Jane Doe #4. He was never convicted for molesting Jane Doe #1 because his sexual abuse of her was unreported at the time.
After his conviction, England convinced the judge to let him out on bail to "settle his affairs" prior to sentencing. He then took Jane Doe #1 from protective custody and fled the state, eventually taking residence in Florida. He assumed the identity of Stephen Arthur Seagoe, a deceased 11-month-old boy who was born the year after England. England used this alias in order to obtain a social security number, a Florida drivers license, and two United States passports.
For the next 27 years, England lived in Florida under his assumed identity and molested Jane Doe #1 hundreds of times. He committed outrageous, offensive sexual crimes until she was 16 years old. At the age of 21, Jane Doe #1 married and moved out of Englands home. They have not been in contact since 1995.
THE CAPTURE
In April 2005, the Orange County District Attorneys office was contacted by the FBI with information about Englands alias and amended the outstanding arrest warrant to include the name Stephen Arthur Seagoe. In May 2005, the U.S. Department of Diplomatic Security arrested England in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on two counts of passport fraud. England pleaded guilty and served 14 months in federal custody. He was transported to Orange County in June 2006 after serving his federal sentence and booked into Orange County jail.
SENTENCING
The People asked the court to consider multiple factors in sentencing England. In addition to molesting Jane Does #2, #3, and #4, England is accused of the continuous abuse of Jane Doe #1 for 11 years and victimizing and grooming more than a dozen other girls. Many of the incidents went unreported to authorities. England is accused of molesting one unreported 10-year-old victim more than 50 times over the course of three months, and taking nude photos of her. He is accused of similar molest of a 6-year-old victim.
At the time of his arrest in 2005, England is accused of possessing over 60 graphic, sickening child pornographic movies on his computer. The People argued that England has not shown remorse for his crimes.
