Widower, 92, invited to Christmas dinner by Sainsbury’s worker is accused of child sex offences

An elderly widower who was invited to a Christmas dinner by a kind Sainsbury’s worker faces extradition on alleged child sex offences.

Edwin Holmes, now 92, was invited to dinner in 2017 by a Sainsbury’s worker who was just 22 at the time, as she felt sorry for the “lonely” man who “had no friends or family”.

The couple shared a meal at the store’s restaurant in Leeds, and Mr Holmes, whose date described him as “cute”, “chatty” and his “favorite customer”, arrived bearing flowers and smartly dressed in a crisp blue suit. and tie.

But the retired painter and decorator is now one of the oldest Britons to face extradition after it was revealed yesterday that he is wanted in Australia for alleged sexual assault on a girl under the age of 13 between 2008 and 2014.

Edwin Holmes, now 92, was invited to dinner in 2017 by a Sainsbury’s worker who was just 22 at the time, as she felt sorry for the “lonely” man who “had no friends or family”. Little did she know that he would be accused of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 13.

Holmes lives in Leeds but has no family left in Britain as his daughter and two grandchildren live in Australia.

His wife passed away in August 2006 after 45 years of marriage. He was a painter and decorator from the age of 14 until he retired at 76.

But in 2020, Holmes was arrested when an international warrant was issued after an Australian schoolgirl made shocking allegations that he sexually abused her for years.

A district judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London ruled in favor of extradition and then Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the decision.

The couple went on a ‘date’ in the store’s restaurant and Mr Holmes even dressed up for the occasion and brought her flowers.

Holmes has appealed to the High Court in a bid to avoid extradition to Australia, where he faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The alleged sex offender’s legal team claims the elder Holmes suffers from a litany of health problems due to his advanced age and argued that he should not be extradited as a result.

During his extradition hearing in December 2021, Holmes was assisted by a caretaker and took several breaks to use the disabled bathroom.

In 2017, the Sainsbury’s employee told The Sun: ‘[Holmes] He is without a doubt my favorite client.

‘He is the cutest man and very talkative. I thought that if it was my grandfather and he was alone, he would want someone to talk to him.

Holmes was quoted as saying, “The dinner made me very happy because it was unexpected and I had very pleasant company.”

‘As for the suit, it was my first date in about 55 years, and [I got] the flowers because I was not going to leave empty-handed.’