DAMIEN TREAVARTHA SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS FOR HORRIFIC SEXUAL ABUSE IN NEWTON ABBOT
In April 2017, a disturbing case of child sexual abuse culminated in the sentencing of Damien Treavartha, a 34-year-old man from Bowden Hill, Newton Abbot, who was handed an 18-year prison term for a series of heinous crimes involving young girls.The court heard how Treavartha exploited his access to vulnerable children, particularly those from single-parent families, to carry out a pattern of predatory behavior that shocked the local community and drew widespread condemnation.
Treavartha’s crimes involved manipulative tactics designed to disarm and control his young victims.
He would often befriend single mothers, gaining their trust as a means to get close to their children.
His most egregious acts included forcing children to participate in sexual acts under the guise of innocent food tasting games.
During these episodes, he would blindfold the children and deceive them into believing they were tasting ordinary items such as mushrooms, bananas, or red peppers.
These deceptions served as a cover for his sexual assaults, which he carried out in a calculated and planned manner.
One of his victims, a nine-year-old girl, remained silent about her ordeal for over a year.
It was only after attending an NSPCC awareness course at her primary school that she confided in her mother about the abuse.
This disclosure prompted a police investigation that uncovered further disturbing evidence.
Authorities discovered that Treavartha had also sexually abused an 11-year-old girl during a sleepover at his home in Newton Abbot, using similar tactics to those employed with his first victim.
Further investigation revealed that Treavartha had secretly filmed some of his assaults.
Police found these recordings on his mobile phone after the victims’ disclosures.
One of the videos depicted him abusing a sleeping girl, aged between eight and nine, who was partially stripped during the assault.
The girl remains unaware of the footage and has not been told what was recorded.
The extent of his offending was further confirmed when police found evidence of another girl, aged around 11, whom he incited to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard that Treavartha had also manipulated a third girl, who was sleeping at the time, into a sexual assault, although she remains unaware of the footage.
Treavartha’s pattern of offending was characterized by his strategic grooming and manipulation.
He used various methods to gain access to children, including befriending their mothers and exploiting their trust.
His main victim endured multiple forms of abuse, including being made to touch his genitals during another blindfolded game where she was asked to identify objects in a carrier bag.
He also assaulted her in the bath and while pretending to mend a torn pair of tights, further demonstrating his calculated approach to his crimes.
During the trial, Treavartha pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of engaging in a sexual act while in the presence of a child.
The judge, Erik Salomonsen, described his actions as a clear pattern of planned offending aimed at prepubescent girls, often when he had engineered opportunities to be alone with them.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Salomonsen emphasized the severity and calculated nature of Treavartha’s crimes.
He declared him a dangerous offender, which means he will be required to serve a minimum of 12 years before being eligible to apply for parole.
The judge also ordered Treavartha to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and prohibited any future unmonitored contact with children.
Prosecutor Judith Cornwall detailed the timeline of the abuse, revealing that the first girl was victimized starting in early 2014 when she was just six years old.
Her mother only learned of the abuse after her daughter attended a school class aimed at raising awareness about sexual abuse.
Police subsequently discovered the videos on Treavartha’s phone, which included footage of the food game and the assault on a sleeping child.
Cornwall described the abuse as a “catalogue of offending over time,” highlighting how Treavartha groomed his victims and used blindfolds to disable them, making them more compliant.
Victims and their families expressed profound trauma and distress.
One girl drew two pictures—one depicting her family before the abuse and another showing her family afterward, with sad faces replacing happy ones.
Her mother stated that her daughter would never be able to trust anyone again and that their family had been forced to move away due to cyberbullying and social media harassment following the revelations.
Judge Salomonsen concluded by condemning Treavartha’s actions as a planned and calculated pattern of abuse targeting vulnerable children, emphasizing the need to protect the community from such dangerous individuals.
The sentence reflects the gravity of his crimes and the ongoing threat he poses to society.
