Dennis Yarr 63

Description

A paedophile carried out a series of sexual assaults on vulnerable young girls over several decades. Dennis Yarr subjected his victims to sickening attacks leaving them suicidal, depressed and unable to feel safe around men.

The offences committed by Yarr spanned several decades and included luring a young girl into his car, sexually touching another child and forcing another to sit on his lap and perform a sex act.

A hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, March 20 heard Yarr, who is Scottish and was working as a bus and taxi driver in the Vale of Glamorgan, accused his victims of lying before being found guilty of indecent assault and indeceny with a child at trial in February this year. Judge Timothy Petts said Yarr had shown "no remorse" for his actions and described him as "manipulative and predatory".

The court heard Yarr, 63, of Dunstan Avenue in Westage-on-Sea, Kent, carried out a series of disgusting attacks on a young girl in the 1990s. This included touching inside her underwear and on one occasion penetrating her. He then told his victim not to tell anyone in order to prevent her from reporting the ordeal.

A statement on behalf of the victim said Yarr's attacks had meant she "grew up feeling let down and disappointed" and had "affected her choices in life", adding that she still struggled with mental health issues and had been left traumatised by it taking 10 years for the offences to be brought to light. The victim said what happened had "ruined my childhood years", adding: "Every time I hear a Scottish accent, smell whiskey and see a man with a moustache it makes me think of my abuser." She said she had self-harmed as a result of Yarr's actions and had been admitted to hospital and had been "petrified" at the idea of giving evidence at his trial.

Yarr was also found to have indecently assaulted another girl in the 1990s by encouraging her to get into his car before asking her to sit on his lap while he drove, at which point he proceeded to touch her crotch area. A statement read on behalf of the victim said what happened had left her with trust issues as an adult, only being comfortable leaving her child with close family members, wary of men and feeling unsafe taking taxis unless she sat in the back seat. She said years later that she felt "anxious, overwhelmed and distressed" when the case came to court and suffered from PTSD, and that Yarr's conviction had "given [her] closure" to move on with her life.

The court also heard Yarr had carried out another offence on a girl when he was a teenager in the 1970s by getting her to sit on his lap and perform a sex act. He later pleaded guilty to indecent assault and was given a conditional discharge. A statement read on behalf of his victim said what had happened had been "difficult to deal with" and resulted in her trying to take her own life. She said it had affected her trust in men and made her struggle in relationships even into her adult life.

South Wales Police began investigating Yarr after one of his victims came forward. He was arrested in Margate, Kent, in December 2020 and two more victims later came forward. Yarr was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault and one count of indecency with a child following a week-long trial at Cardiff Crown Court last month.

David Pernell, defending, said his client had no submissions in relation to the offences and that there had been "no change" to the position he took during trial. He said Yarr was in poor health for a man in his 60s and suffered from COPD and diabetes, adding that he had "come to court to accept his fate carrying a cocktail of prescription medication" from his GP. He summarised a letter by Yarr's partner of 18 years who said he had been "very supportive of her mental health issues" and that she would "keenly miss that support" if he went to prison.

Judge Timothy Petts said Yarr had caused "severe psychological harm" to his victims and that there was "very little" to mitigate what he had done. He said it was noted that the defendant "showed no remorse" and was "manipulative and predatory" in how he carried out the attacks and tried to prevent his victims from reporting what had happened.

Yarr was sentenced to seven years in prison and an additional year on licence. He will become eligible for parole after two thirds of his prison term has passed and will be registered as a sex offender for life. He was also banned from working with children or vulnerable adults and a sexual harm prevention order was made.

After the sentencing, Investigate Assistant Steve Gunney from South Wales Police said: “Dennis Yarr’s actions have had a devastating effect on the three women.

“But thanks to their bravery and a thorough investigation, he has been brought to justice. He has shown no remorse and during cross examination, claimed that the three women were lying and had plotted together to make false allegations."

"South Wales Police takes all reports of sexual violence extremely seriously and it is never too late to report a crime. Help and support is available for all victims of sexual violence, and we would encourage any victims; no matter how long ago the offence happened, to please come forward.”