April 2023 Former soldier’s 21 year sentence for horrific campaign of child sex abuse A former soldier robbed a 12-year-old girl of her innocence by sexually abusing her to the point where she began self-harming – and then forced her to relive the horrific ordeal in court after accusing her of lying. Anthony Pitman subject his victim to years and rapes and sexual assaults, many accompanied by acts designed to further humiliate her. The court heard he began raping the girl when she was just 12-years-old and continued that abuse for seven years from 2010 to 2017. In a statement which the victim read to the court the female – who is now in her 20s – described how the defendant had robbed her of her innocence and childhood. Sending 51-year-old Pitman to prison, a judge told him he had abused his victim to satisfy his own “perverted needs” without a thought about the damage he was doing Swansea Crown Court heard Pitman systematically raped and abused his schoolgirl victim over the course of a number of years at several different locations. On a number of occasions the defendant performed sex acts designed to further humiliate and degrade the child. The offending was not reported to the police at the time, but when it was Pitman denied any wrong-doing forcing his victim to go through the ordeal of a trial. In an impact statement which the victim read to court she told the defendant in dock he was “a predator and a child abuser”. She said Pitman had stolen her innocence and childhood, traumatised her and driven her to self harm but she added: “From this day onwards my life begins again.” Anthony Roydon Michael Pitman, of Garnswllt Road, Pontarddulais, had previously been convicted at trial of 21 counts of rape and other sexual offending when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions but has a police caution for a child sex offence. Judge Huw Rees said the defendant had “systematically abused” his victim in order to satisfy his “perverted needs”. He said there had been grooming and planning involved in the offending, and he told Pitman he had “all the hallmarks of a paedophile” who had slyly taken opportunities to commit the offences Pitman was given a 21-year extended sentence as an offender of particular concern comprising 20 years in custody followed by a one-year licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the 20 years in custody before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order designed to control his access to girls.