ANTONIO DITORO FROM BATH, CORSHAM, AND DEVIZES JAILED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Bath, Corsham, and Devizes, Antonio Ditoro, a 57-year-old man with ties to these locations, has been sentenced to three years and three months in prison for serious sexual offenses committed against two young girls over a span of more than a decade.

Details of the case reveal that Ditoro, a father of five, engaged in sexual abuse of one girl in Devizes during the mid-2000s. The disturbing revelations did not end there; when the first victim came forward, another girl, who had been subjected to abuse in the 1990s, also disclosed her traumatic experience. The two incidents, separated by years, highlight a pattern of predatory behavior that spanned over a decade.

Throughout the trial at Swindon Crown Court, Ditoro maintained his innocence, denying all charges brought against him. However, the jury found him guilty of multiple counts of sexual assault involving both girls. His defense attorney, Robin Shellard, argued that the offenses were not the worst of their kind and emphasized that the abuse had ceased well before police involvement. Shellard also highlighted that Ditoro had suffered from significant mental health issues over the years, acknowledging that his client accepted the reality of his imprisonment.

Judge Douglas Field, presiding over the case, delivered a stern sentence, emphasizing the profound impact on the victims. He stated, “They have both been badly affected: I have read their victim impact statements. The first girl, even after all these years, still feels badly affected, and they will continue to feel the effects for many years to come. One can only hope that after these proceedings, some form of closure can be achieved.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Ditoro was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and may face restrictions that prevent him from working with children in the future. The court's decision underscores the severity of his crimes and the lasting harm inflicted upon the victims.

The first girl, approximately nine and a half years old at the time, was subjected to abuse in the early 1990s. At that time, Ditoro was employed as the assistant manager at the Priory Hotel in Bath, although the abuse did not occur within the hotel premises. The second victim, who was between seven and eleven years old during the period from 2004 to 2007, recounted that Ditoro would not only touch her inappropriately but also coerced her into touching him. During this period, Ditoro was residing in Kingfisher Drive, Devizes, and had retrained as a hairdresser, working at a salon in Marlborough.

He was convicted on two counts of indecent assault of a child under 14 in Bath between 1990 and 1991. Additionally, he faced two charges of sexual assault of a child under 13 related to the incidents in Devizes. The jury, however, was unable to reach verdicts on one indecent assault charge concerning the first girl and two counts involving causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity in relation to the second girl, leaving some charges unresolved.