May 2019: Released July 2015 Evil Devon paedophile could be released after serving just a third of his sentence VICTIMS of a notorious Devon paedophile have been left horrified after learning he could be RELEASED EARLY – after serving just a THIRD of his sentence. Evil Adrian Dance was jailed by Judge Graham Cottle at Exeter Crown Court for 21 & a half years in 2010 after his secret life as a serial child abuser and rapist was revealed. He admitted sexually abusing 5 young girls which covered 14 offences including one sexual assault, four rapes, seven indecent assaults and two offences of indecency with a child The court heard he began repeatedly raping a girl in the 1980s and preyed on four other young girls, including abducting a 14-year-old. He threatened to kill some of his victims and warned them that nobody would believe them if confided in others. But it has now emerged that legal loopholes in his original sentencing meant he has successfully won several appeals to reduce his time in jail – and he could be free as early as September 2017. One of his victims, who had expected him to “rot in jail”, has spoken of her shock after discovering her abuser could be released in just two years and fears he will return to the scene of his crimes. Dance, 59, was a married man who was well known and respected in his community of Budleigh Salterton, Devon, for his charity work. He was finally brought to justice after a abduction victim plucked up the courage to speak out. If he is denied parole he will automatically released on licence in 2019. His victims have recently been contacted by probation warning them that Dance was eligible for parole in two years. One woman said the news came as a real “kick in the teeth.” She said: “For the majority of victims, this news is going to be heartbreaking. “A couple of them were timid; I don’t know how they will be able to cope with this mentally, physically and emotionally. “Because of him, I was always looking over my shoulder. “Hearing he could be out so soon is like a bereavement and I feel numb. “It will be like going back to square one and there is nothing that can be done about that for us. “I think for a lot of his victims, after what they went through, this is going to leave a bitter taste and I think they will struggle with the news. “As a victim, you are a victim for life.” July 2010 Rapist jailed for 21 years after attacking five girls A rapist who molested five under-age girls has been jailed for 21 and a half years for offences dating back about 20 years. Justice has finally caught up with Adrian Dance, 54, of Queens Road, Budleigh Salterton, who was sent to prison yesterday for the offences which began in the 1980s and also happened during this decade. His crimes included abducting a 14-year-old girl in Exmouth and holding her captive in his house while he abused her, during this decade, and repeatedly raping a girl after first abusing her when she was 11 in the 1980s. Judge Graham Cottle told him: “The victims are left to survey the misery of their lives as a result of what you did. The psychological harm to the victims, as one would expect, is immense.” Dance, who previously lived in Exmouth, has pleaded guilty to 14 offences, which are one sexual assault, four rapes, seven indecent assaults and two offences of indecency with a child. He was given a Sexual Offences Prevention order and told to put his details on the Sex Offender Register, until further notice. The charity fundraiser’s secret life as a child molester has now been brought to light thanks to the courage of his victims, Exeter Crown Court has heard. The court heard that the married man was well known in his community for voluntary charity work including helping raise around £50,000 for children with cancer. But he began repeatedly raping a girl in the 1980s and preyed on four other young girls, including abducting a 14-year-old during this decade. He threatened to kill some of his victims and warned them that nobody would believe them if confided in others. Prosecutor Nicolas Gerasimidis said some people did refuse to believe what Dance was capable of but police became involved after the abduction victim “plucked up the courage and told various people.” All the victims then bravely helped the police investigation last year. “I hope he rots in hell” When the 54-year-year-old Budleigh Salterton father was jailed at Exeter Crown Court for 21 years after carrying out a series of vile sex crimes against children, his victims bravely sat through proceedings – some sobbing as the sordid details were revealed – watching as their tormentor was led away to face his punishment. While Dance face’s two decades behind bars, his victims will spend the rest of their lives coming to terms with the fear and shame he put them through. They say they are pleased with the length of sentence he was served and are determined to get on with their lives. One victim exclusively told the Journal how Dance pretended to be her friend and someone she could trust – but betrayed her youthful innocence in the worst way. She said: He turned out to be an evil, manipulative liar. He took away my teenage years, my virginity and also something inside me. “He could make you do anything he wanted by manipulation, by the words he used. “Anyone who knows him would say he has the gift of the gab. He changed me. “What he did to me, what he made me do, has never gone away. It has always been in my head. “You just deal with it and try and get on with your life.” It was while watching an abuse storyline involving a teenager unfold on EastEndersthat prompted the victim to confide in Exmouth police. For years she had kept Dance’s sordid crimes secret, fearful she would not be able to prove his vile perversions. She was interviewed when officers – already cataloguing Dance’s decades of abuse – called on her early this year. She praised Exmouth’s detectives for their sensitivity when dealing with her ordeal. “Although it has been an upsetting time with lots of different emotions running through me – hating him and myself, anger, lots of anger – that this has happened to me, I am relieved they knocked on my door. It had to come out,” she said. “It has brought some closure to the last 23 years and I hope that he rots in prison.”