RAPIST WHO 'POSES RISK TO TEENAGE GIRLS' HANDED 20-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE
Daniel Mortimer, a resident of Plymouth, has been formally sentenced to a determinate period of 20 years in prison following his conviction for a series of heinous crimes involving a vulnerable 15-year-old girl.The court heard harrowing details of how Mortimer, described as a cunning individual, systematically targeted a young girl for abuse, using alcohol as a means of grooming her before subjecting her to sexual assault and subsequent imprisonment.
The girl, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, provided a deeply distressing victim impact statement that was read aloud by prosecutor Heather Hope during the sentencing hearing at Plymouth Crown Court.
The court was informed that Mortimer, aged 39 and also known by the surname Norsworthy, had been found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict following a comprehensive trial.
Evidence presented during the proceedings outlined how Mortimer had deliberately targeted the girl.
He manipulated her by initially offering alcohol, leading her to his home where he continued to feed her drinks while she was in an unconscious state.
In this incapacitated condition, he committed the sexual assault.
According to the evidence, after the assault, Mortimer threatened the girl into compliance, claiming he possessed a firearm to intimidate her into staying at his residence.
The court heard how Mortimer kept the girl confined against her will, attempting to physically restrain her by attempting to strangle her during the incident.
The court further learned about Mortimer’s troubled background.
In 2002, he had been subjected to a hospital order after being convicted of arson.
Over the course of the next 17 years, he spent time in various mental health institutions where diagnoses of antisocial disorder and/or borderline learning disabilities were noted.
His institutional records included reports of violent incidents and offenses such as arson, although he was never prosecuted for these past crimes.
In March 2020, Mortimer was released from mental health care and reintegrated into society.
By April 2021, he was living in supported accommodation in Plymouth.
However, the court was told that by this time, Mortimer was heavily abusing alcohol and Class A drugs, leading a seemingly aimless existence on the streets of Plymouth, according to the judge, Mr.
Recorder Donald Tait.
During this period, Mortimer began befriending groups of teenage girls in the city center, often spending large sums of money on alcohol for them, fully aware that many of these girls were under the age of 16.
In a particularly alarming incident shortly before the rape in April 2021, Mortimer lured three underage girls to his residence promising to provide them with alcohol.
Fortunately, a support worker onsite detected the situation and forcefully ejected the girls, preventing further harm.
The following day, Mortimer was seen again in Plymouth’s city center, targeting a ‘troubled’ 15-year-old girl, who was described as autistic, with mild learning difficulties, ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
Her mother explained these issues during the trial, emphasizing her daughter's dependency on alcohol, which had developed as a result of her mental health struggles.
The court heard that Mortimer’s behavior was conspicuously manipulative, fully aware of her vulnerabilities.
Evidence indicated that Mortimer deliberately used alcohol to lure the girl to his home.
Even before she arrived, she was already severely intoxicated, having traveled there in a taxi to a false address where Mortimer had lied and claimed she was his sister.
The communication between him and the girl through Snapchat messages showed premeditation, and he continued to offer her more alcohol once she was in his residence.
Once inside, Mortimer's actions turned increasingly sinister.
He raped the girl while she was unconscious and kept her confined in his room against her will.
During this ordeal, he threatened her with a gun and attempted to strangulate her.
After several hours, Mortimer falsely told a visitor that the girl was his girlfriend, even though she was reported missing.
The girl managed to regain consciousness early in the morning and, prompted by her instincts, persuaded Mortimer to step outside for a cigarette before running away to escape.
She immediately contacted her mother, at 6:43 AM, in a state of hysteria, informing her that a man was chasing her.
Her mother then used a phone-tracking app to locate her.
Following her escape, police apprehended Mortimer at his residence on April 9.
During his arrest, officers discovered heroin and cannabis in his possession.
The court noted that during police interviews, Mortimer exhibited bizarre behavior, providing inconsistent and conflicting accounts of the events.
He denied certain facts, including the presence of his DNA in the girl’s underpants, and claimed that she had never been in his room despite her detailed description of his property.
While on bail for the initial rape allegations, Mortimer committed additional offenses, including a sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl at Beaumont Park on August 26, 2021.
The victim reported that while Mortimer was smoking cannabis, he followed her into the park, put his arm around her briefly, and touched her inner thigh.
The impact on the 17-year-old was profound, leading her to attempt self-harm by ingesting bleach shortly after the incident.
Mortimer was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for the latter sexual assault and was arrested again shortly after his release due to the rape charges.
His actions continued to cause trauma for his victims.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim of the girl he raped provided a heart-rending statement.
She described feeling violated, alone, scared, and horrified at how Mortimer had accessed her body without her awareness.
She revealed that she had turned to self-harm, using razor blades, and drank heavily to numb her pain.
She expressed her severe distress, stating she now flinches when touched by strangers and that certain words trigger flashbacks, nights terrors, and overwhelming feelings.
Her statement also conveyed her fear of contact, her efforts to alter her appearance to avoid recognition, and her concern about Mortimer attempting to contact her.
She detailed how the trauma had affected her relationships and her daily life, avoiding specific areas in the city and staying away from where Mortimer lived.
In mitigation, Mortimer’s lawyer, Katie Churcher, highlighted his history of childhood abuse and prolonged institutional care, both before and after his crimes.
She acknowledged his participation in positive programs while in custody, including working in a prison servery and gym, and becoming an 'enhanced' prisoner with additional responsibilities.
Throughout the proceedings, the judge reviewed two detailed reports.
The first, by a probation officer, emphasised that Mortimer, despite having a below-average IQ, demonstrated manipulative and cunning traits and was assessed to likely offend again, especially targeting teenage girls.
The second report from forensic psychiatrist Dr Christine Brown confirmed that Mortimer was fully aware of his actions and understood when they were wrong, noting that there was no mental disorder that could mitigate his responsibility.
The court was reminded that Mortimer had never been diagnosed with a mental health disorder at any point in his life and that his ability to stand trial was never in doubt.
The probation report strongly indicated that he posed an elevated risk of reoffending, with a high likelihood of future harm to teenage girls.
Given the evidence and the nature of his crimes, the court sentenced Mortimer to an extended determinate sentence of 20 years, consisting of 15 years in custody and a five-year extended license.
Furthermore, Mortimer was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.
The judge explained that at the two-thirds mark of his custodial sentence, Mortimer’s case would be reviewed by the Parole Board to consider whether it was safe to release him, though this was not guaranteed.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Darren Roach of Devon and Cornwall Police issued a statement emphasizing the long-lasting impact of these crimes on the victims and their families.
He expressed hope that the lengthy sentence would offer some reassurance that justice had been served.
Roach praised the courage of the victims and witnesses who supported the investigation and thanked all partner agencies and specialist support services, including First Light and Plymouth SARC.
He acknowledged the dedicated efforts of the investigation team in securing convictions, highlighting the importance of collaborative work in bringing the offender to justice.
