Locations
Bridge Street, Llanrwst, Wales, LL26
Description
A sex offender found guilty of raping and abusing children has been jailed for 23 years.
David Hayes went on the run for more than two years before being arrested in Spain where he was working as an English teacher.
The former press officer at Bangor City Football Club had denied 12 charges including child rape, sexually assaulting children aged 10 or under, and inciting them to engage in sexual acts.
But Hayes, who tried to evade justice by fleeing abroad, was found guilty by a jury in February
Hayes, of Bridge Street in Llanrwst , carried out the abuse over a three-year period.
Judge Rhys Rowlands said he remains a "high risk to children".
At Mold Crown Court on Tuesday, he sentenced Hayes to three concurrent extended sentences of 15 years for two rapes and an oral rape.
He was given a consecutive extended term of eight years for another serious sexual assault. He is also given an extended licence of two years in total meaning he will serve 23 years in jail, plus two years on licence.
The extended element of the sentence, given because of his danger to children, means he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before being eligible for parole, although Judge Rowlands says it may well be he serves his entire sentence of 23 years before he is released.
Normally a convict would be eligible for parole on licence after serving half their sentence.
Judge Rowlands described Hayes as "a pretty inadequate individual with a distorted view of life", saying the offences against two young children were of the "most appalling depravity".
Hayes was once one of Europol's most wanted people and North Wales Police issued a number of appeals for sightings of him, including an item on Crimewatch.
An NSPCC Cymru/Wales spokesperson said: Hayes tried to evade justice for the appalling crimes he committed against children and the long jail term imposed reflects the danger he poses.
He forced his young victims to relive in court the abuse they suffered at his hands and they must be commended for their bravery at speaking out and helping to put Hayes behind bars where he cannot hurt others.
While justice has finally caught up with Hayes, it is important that the survivors of his abuse receive the support they need to help rebuild their lives.