Aprirl 2012

Magor rapist jailed for string of attacks

A RAPIST who carried out a string of sex attacks was jailed for 20 years yesterday.

Newport Crown Court heard 66-year-old Ernest Buchanan, of Withy Close, Magor, groomed his victims from as far back as the 1980s, but became angry when they tried to reject him.

He denied 11 counts of indecent assault, three counts of attempted rape and six counts of rape, but was found gulity of all charges at trial and appeared at court for sentencing yesterday.

Judge David Morris told the court and a busy public gallery how Buchanan escalated his sexual offences against his victims.

The court heard he began indecently assaulting his first victim when she was under the age of 12.

“You effectively groomed that child into accepting such conduct as normal,” the judge told him.

The court heard he told one victim he would burn her house down if she rejected him.

“Each of the girls said they were frightened of you,”

Judge Morris said.

The court heard Buchanan subjected a fourth victim to a “particularly brutal and humiliating act” while he was drunk – a victim he raped twice.

Judge Morris described Buchanan’s offending as a “campaign of sexual assault”. Defending, Mary Parry-Evans said since then her client had not committed any more crimes and asked the judge to take into account Buchanan’s age and his poor health – he suffers from a gastric condition, diabetes, poor mobility, has had heart disease and is set to be tested for cancer.

Judge Morris said Buchanan’s sentence should act as a deterrent to those with “unbridled sexual lusts” against children.

“You have shown absolutely no remorse whatsoever for what you did,” the judge added.

Buchanan was handed concurrent terms of imprisonment, the longest being 20 years, and will register as a sex offender for life.