July 2023

Child abuser left girl wanting to ‘destroy her body’ after sexual attacks

A child abuser sexually assaulted two young girls – which led one of his victims to feel suicidal and self harming so “no man would ever want to touch her again”.

The paedophile bought presents for the victims and told them to keep it a secret.

Peter Bingham, 54, targeted the two girls while he was living in Flintshire, by placing his hands on their vaginas and pressing himself up against them.

He stopped abusing his older victim when she began puberty, before turning his attentions to another victim.

A sentencing hearing at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday heard the defendant began abusing the first victim when she was 10-years-old.

He would place his hands on her body, touch the top of her leg or waist and put his hands up her top or into her trousers.

She tried to move him and told him to stop touching her, but he reacted angrily and told her she was “ungrateful”.

Prosecutor Elen Owen said the victim was “frightened” and would “cry herself to sleep” at the time of the abuse. Bingham also bought her an iPad and clothes but would make her promise not to tell anyone about the gifts.

The defendant began abusing the second victim when she was nine-years-old and took advantage of her on three occasions, during which he put his hand inside her clothes and knickers.

She described feeling “shocked and frightened”, and when she tried to get up he pulled her back down again.

Bingham, of Durrell Close, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, was found guilty of four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and one offence of sexual assault, following a trial at Mold Crown Court.

Reading her victim personal statement to the court, the first victim said the abuse had “impacted her life in more ways than she can imagine”. She said she didn’t like being touched or hugged by people, and Bingham had lied to her in order to get closer to her.

She added: “I wanted to destroy my body, when he took advantage of my body when I was younger he treated my body as his possession. I wanted to destroy it so no man would ever want to touch me again.”

The victim said she continued to suffer nightmares about the abuse, during which Bingham would be sat on top of her and suffocating her. She said she was also taken to A&E by a teacher who became concerned she was going to take her own life.

The victim added: “The last two have been the worst years of my life. Speaking out was the right thing but court was a lengthy period and I had to relive childhood trauma.”

Bignham was sentenced to a total of five years imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements for life, as well as a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.