Paul Clarke 64

Description

A paedophile dressed as a member of a "well-known boy band" when he groomed a teenage girl into performing sexual acts upon him and upon herself. The victim said she continues to "carry the abuse" and made attempts on her own life.

Paul Clarke, 64, of Pontypool, sexually abused the victim when she was just 13 years old. He first came across her while waiting at a bus stop in the Blackwood area, while he was playing loud music in his car.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard the defendant was "dressed like a well-known member of a boy band" in a bid to make himself look younger. He went on to sexually abuse the girl in his car by grooming her into performing oral sex upon him.

Sentencing, Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant said Clarke also performed oral sex upon the girl and penetrated her with his fingers and with objects such as a glass bottle and a metal pump. He would also purchase alcohol for her and persuaded her to keep their meetings a secret.

The abuse came to light after the victim contacted the police as an adult and Clarke was subject to a trial accused of 10 counts of indecent assault. The defendant, of Albion Road, was found guilty of all counts. The court heard he had no previous relevant convictions.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Clare Wilks the victim said: "The abuse I suffered affected my life in every way.... I don't understand what love is.... I am trying to understand why this happened to me. He took away my childhood and was forced to grow up. The control of power he had over me stays with me to this day. I have struggled to form healthy relationships and sex has always been a trigger for me.

"I carry abuse with me every day and I think about it. Some days it hit me so hard I can't get out of bed. I have made attempts to end my life. I was unable to go to work and on occasions I suffered with depression. I just wanted a normal relationship with a partner and a normal family but Paul Clarke has taken that away from me.

"I tried to move on but it doesn't go away. During the court proceedings I was anxious, had sleepless nights and nightmares of Paul Clarke and woke up. I worried about attending court and of the effects repeating my experience would impact on my mental health. I want to get past the abuse and learn to trust and love again. I want to be happy and free."

In mitigation defence barrister Martha Smith-Higgins said her client had been a law-abiding citizen over the past decades since the offences. She said the defendant had lost his mother at the age of six and was unable to speak for seven years due to the impact on him. The barrister asked the court to pass a determinate sentence acknowledging her client would receive an inevitable and lengthy custodial sentence.

Judge Porter-Bryant sentenced Clarke to nine years imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements for an indefinite period.