August 2023

Paedophile pensioner told relatives he assaulted young girl ‘because she asked me to’

A vile paedophile that repeatedly raped a young girl then branded her a “nuisance” and a “liar” told police that the child had ‘asked him to abuse her’

Douglas Webley subjected his victim to a catalogue of vile sexual abuse when she was aged as young as eight. She has described how his sickening actions “ruined her life”, while her dad says he “just wants his little girl back”.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, that the complainant “broke down in tears” as she first told her father of the assaults the defendant had subjected her to over the course of more than a year.

Robert Dudley, prosecuting, told the court how Webley repeatedly raped her and would “let her smoke afterwards”.

The 71-year-old did so on one occasion after telling her: “It’s gonna be good. You’re not gonna regret it, you’re gonna love it.”

She reported that Webley told her that “if she told anyone, he’d lie”. He was said to have stated: “If you tell anyone I swear I’m gonna lie and you can get into trouble, not me.”

Under interview after being arrested at his home on Espin Street in Walton, the pervert described the girl as a “nuisance who tells lies”.

Webley told detectives she had kissed him first and that he had kissed her back.

But the pensioner also admitted having touched her indecently. After being released pending further investigations, he told relatives he had sexually assaulted the youngster “because she asked me to” and said he had told the police he had had sex with her.

Webley admitted rape and sexual assault. He was jailed for 15 years and four months and handed an additional year on licence.

Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton said: “I am told you now show remorse and insight and you regret what you have done, although that is hard to square with what you said in interview to the police. The blame here only lies in one place, and that is entirely and utterly with you – I am not at all convinced you understand or accept that.”

Webley must serve at least two thirds of his sentence behind bars, meaning it will be at least 10 years and two months before he will be eligible to apply for parole.

He was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the complainant indefinitely and a lifelong sexual harm prevention order, as well as being told to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.