Beginning when she was just six years old, David Devlin Ystrad Mynach Paedophile committed years of sexual assault against a girl. She attempted two times to kill herself due to the mistreatment.
Taking advantage of his victim, 45-year-old David Devlin of Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, advised her not to disclose his sexual deviance or else he would be imprisoned. The victim was sexually assaulted and the defendant made her perform a sex act on him, therefore completing the abuse.
Prosecutors said hundreds of texts sent between David Devlin and his victim as “more like boyfriend and girlfriend” during a Friday sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court. Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant characterised the books as “grooming” activities meant to help the victim’s mental normalisation of her sexual activity.
David Devlin was arrested after the victim initially informed her family and institution of the sexual assault expected in 2022. Searching his house, he turned up a laptop taken under seizure with an obscene picture of a child. On the defendant’s phone, also found was an image of bestiality.
Denying the charges, David Devlin, of Station Road, was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of assault by penetration of a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of an indecent image and possession of an extreme image. The court heard he had past good character.
The victim said in a victim personal statement presented to the court by prosecutor Joshua Scouller: “I walled myself off from friends, family and the outside world when I first notified school and family about what was happening. I wouldn’t leave my room and head outside with my buddies. I would not go about daily activities like eating or drinking. I would not want to leave my room. I woke up in the night having flashbacks and dreams.
“I know what people are capable of, so I am afraid of people nowadays. For the past two years, I have felt as though I am continuously depressed. When I am by myself, I feel melancholy and numb to the outer world. Sometimes, I haven’t felt like getting out of bed; I don’t get on my phone or fall asleep; I lie there contemplating all that has happened with Dave and weep. One day, I resolved to kill myself as I was so severely battling with everything. The victim claimed she overdosed on pills, then told a school counsellor what she had done and was sent to the hospital. On a second visit, she also tried to kill herself with lashing knives and lighters.
David Devlin maintained his innocence in mitigating circumstances and said the victim was after pay. His convictions have cost him his career, and he admits he has “let people down”. Judge Porter-Bryant stated the offender used “grooming and manipulation” to sexually assault his victim and declared he is a “high risk of serious harm to female children”.
Found to be a dangerous criminal, David Devlin was sentenced to eight years and six months with an extended licence period of two and six months. Before he is qualified for release, he will serve two-thirds of the jail sentence. The defendant will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order at a later hearing; they were also made subject to sex offender notification obligations.
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