'I killed paedophile for his sickening acts towards my kids – this is my only regret'

Sarah Sands was jailed after admitting to killing Michael Pleasted, 77, in a knife attack – and she did so after her three boys told her they had been abused by him

A mother who fatally stabbed a paedophile who sexually assaulted her three young sons has disclosed her sole regret.

In 2014, Sarah Sands plunged a knife into 77-year-old Michael Pleasted, subsequently known as Robin Moult, eight times. The incident led to her imprisonment for enacting vigilante justice.

Pleasted was a notorious paedophile who had altered his name to conceal his heinous history of child abuse.

Upon discovering the molestation of her children and Pleasted's denial of guilt, Sands armed herself with a knife and went to his apartment block under the cover of darkness, where she committed what was described as a "determined and sustained attack".

Her court trial resulted in a manslaughter conviction due to a loss of control rather than murder, leading to an initial sentence of three-and-a-half years, which was later increased to seven-and-a-half.

Sands is now back in society after completing just under four years of her sentence and has delivered a moving interview on James English's Anything Goes podcast.

During the conversation, English queried: "What regret do you have from it? Do you have any? Hindsight is always a wonderful thing but are there things you would have changed?" Sands answered: "Only one – letting him anywhere near us. That's all."

When asked by English how much this thought weighed on her thoughts, Sands became tearful and conceded "a lot", before requesting a momentary pause in the interview.

Later in their discussion, Sands confided about the act of killing: "I forgave me."

Upon being questioned how long self-forgiveness took, she responded: "A long time. That was actually just quite recent. So still quite new."

Her sons, Bradley, 12 at the time, and his twin brothers Alfie and Reece, then 11, showed immense courage as they matured into young adults, eventually choosing to waive their right to anonymity.

Before Sands tragically turned killer, she was a single mother who had settled in Silvertown, East London, just a short time before the fateful incident, marking the unfortunate moment Pleasted wove into their lives.

In prior discussions, Sands referred to him as a role model, remembering her initial hospitality towards him which involved cooking and companionship. Recalling her early perceptions of Pleasted to English, she mentioned: "Definitely grandad figure, when you look at that grandad figure. I had a grandad. He was amazing. Never nothing to worry about. When I met Michael he definitely gave that persona."

Eventually, Pleasted sought Bradley's help at the local newsagents with newspapers and gradually became acquainted with his younger siblings, even inviting them over to his place.

The boys eventually revealed to their mother that Pleasted had sexually abused them, leading to police involvement and charges being brought against him; however, Pleasted was freed on bail pending his trial. On the grim day of November 29, 2014, after consuming two bottles of wine and a small bottle of whiskey, Sands confronted him.

CCTV captured her in an elevator brandishing a 30cm kitchen knife. Despite the tragic outcome, she insists killing him was never her intention; her aim was to press him for a confession to spare her sons additional anguish.

Yet, when he slandered her sons accusing them of falsehood, the situation spiralled out of control.

After forgiving herself for her past actions, she offered a frank view on her ongoing mental health journey. "It never stops," she said.

"It never stops. Every single day. There is no limit to how much I have to do. Some days are worse than others. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, they are all severe, absolutely severe. But I have always been very much, 'I can do this'. So I love meditation, yoga, exercise."

In court, it emerged that Pleasted was a vile individual with 24 prior convictions, which was news to the neighbours.

Since gaining her freedom, Sands has dedicated herself to campaigning against the ability of paedophiles to legally change their names.