June 2004 Pervert sentence ‘not tough enough A PERVERT who carried out a sex attack on a terrified child more than 10 years ago should have been jailed for life, his victim said. She spoke out after Cyril Sherwin, 52, who admitted indecently assaulting her, was sentenced to three years and put on the Sex Offenders’ Registerfor 10 years. The attack, which happened in Washington, was carried out when the girl was only 12. Sherwin, of Drummond Crescent, South Shields, initially faced eight sex allegations relating to the same girl, but prosecutors dropped seven after he pleaded guilty to one charge. Newcastle Crown Court was told his victim was consulted and agreed with the course of action, which meant she did not have to give evidence. Sherwin’s victim, now a single mum living in Gateshead, said after the hearing that he should have been locked up for good. “I’m thrilled that at last he’s been sentenced. It’s a great feeling that I’ve finally got some kind of closure. “But I don’t think three years is enough. I would have preferred a longer sentence. “For what he put me through he deserved much more than that. I would have put him away for life but I didn’t really expect a court to do that. “It’s been a very stressful time since I went to the police and I was still prepared to give evidence against him on all the charges.” The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “Whenever I have a relationship now, what happened to me comes back to haunt me. “I was only a child when he started abusing me. At the time I was too young to be aware of what was going on. “I hope I will get over it. It’s always at the back of my mind. I’d like to think it will all go away, but at the moment I don’t think it will. “It only came to light when I was 12 and someone else witnessed it. I wanted to tell people what was going on but it’s not the type of thing you tell others about. “Last year I eventually went to the police and told them, because I wanted closure and justice. I suppose I also wanted revenge. “I was prepared to go to court and give evidence. It would have been hard for me but I wanted to do it. “He admitted the one charge because it was the only one witnessed by someone else. The others would have been my word against his. “I think people in my position should speak out about it and tell others not to keep it to themselves for years.”