November 2009

Man, 52, jailed for ‘devastating’ sexual abuse of little girl

A PAEDOPHILE who abused a young girl over a two-year period has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Derby Crown Court heard how Raymond Page “inappropriately touched” the same girl on a number of occasions at a house in Derby, when she was aged eight and nine.

Page, 52, of Castle Road, Castle Gresley, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault against a girl under the age of 13.

Sentencing him, Recorder David Chinery said: “This is a bad case and a gross breach of trust.

“This is not an isolated incident of abuse.

“This victim was very young when you abused her. Who knows what harm has been done to this girl?”

Sarah Knight, prosecuting, read out a statement in court from the mother of the victim.

She said the girl had been left “devastated and tries not to talk about it (the abuse)”.

The victim’s mother said: “She needs to get over things but it is difficult to realise that things will never be the same again.

“I want this man punished for what he has done.”

Speaking outside court, Miss Knight said police were made aware of the abuse after the girl told her mother.

The mother rang the girl’s school, which in turn contacted social services and the police.

They arrested Page on March 1 this year and questioned him. He initially denied the assaults.

In May this year he entered a not guilty plea at Derby Crown Court but changed it to guilty four days before his trial was scheduled to start, last month.

Clive Stockwell, for Page, said his client had not been in front of the courts before and had pleaded guilty to the offences before it came to trial.

He said: “He recognises his wrongdoing and the impact it has had. He will go into custody knowing his offences have caused a great deal of trauma.”

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Constable Annie Vernon, of Derbyshire police’s child abuse investigation unit, said she was happy to see Page sent to prison.

She said: “This man has abused the trust of this child and I am pleased with the sentence he has been given.”

Page was also put on the sex offenders’ register for life.