Christopher Symes 60

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A 'MANIPULATIVE' man who sexually assaulted five women when they were children in sickening attacks spanning almost three decades has been jailed for 14 years.

Following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Christopher Symes was found guilty by a jury on November 10 of eight counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The 58-year-old, of Lorne Road, Dorchester, had already pleaded guilty to six other charges, including three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault and one count of taking indecent photographs of a child.

All of the offences took place between 1984 to 2012.

One of Symes victims made a disclosure to police in December 2017, claiming she had been sexually abused by the defendant, with the offending first occurring when she was aged around nine or ten years old.

Following enquiries by officers, further victims were identified and spoken to, who also reported being abused by the defendant as children.

Symes was arrested and his phone was seized for examination. On it were found a number of indecent images of one of his victims.

The court heard that five women in total, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had come forward accusing Symes of abusing them as children.

At the sentencing hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court which took place today (December 21) Judge Robert Pawson said Symes was 'manipulative' and 'unrepentant' and that he 'targeted vulnerable girls' in his 'systematic abuse'.

He said: "All five women suffered at the time, and some have for decades afterwards.

"You take your victim as you find them."

Victim personal statements from all five women were read out to the court at a previous hearing on Friday, December 17, where they expressed the lifelong trauma they had suffered following Symes' abuse.

The brave women expressed how they felt Symes was in a position of trust which he 'completely violated'. One woman said the he 'stole her innocence'.

The judge again reassured victims during today's sentencing that they should not be left feeling any blame after many expressed that they felt guilty in their victim personal statement for not speaking out sooner to stop Symes from offending the other victims after them.

He said: "None of them [the victims] has anything to blame themselves for. They were children. It is not their fault that you abused them.

"In court, the five women had to relive the abuse you perpetrated on them as children."

Judge Pawson sentenced Symes to a 17-year sentence, comprising of a 14-year custodial sentence and three-year extension.

The judge said his sentence was being extended because he was deemed to pose a significant risk of harm to female children in a pre-sentence report.

Judge Pawson also issued Symes a restraining order.

He said: "You are to have no contact by any means whatsoever with any of the named five victims and that is indefinite."

Symes has also been put on the sex offenders register for life.

'I hope this case encourages others to have the strength to come forward'

Detective Constable Georgina Boast, of Dorset Polices Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: I want to praise the victims in this case for having the courage to come forward to support this investigation and help secure the conviction of Christopher Symes for his despicable offending.

Thanks to their evidence, we have secured the conviction of a serial offender who abused several victims over a number of years.

"Symes is now facing a significant term in jail and I hope this case encourages others to have the strength to come forward in the knowledge that they will be supported and with our help we can bring sexual abusers to justice.