DAVID KEMBER'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN KILGETTY AND UPTON REVEALED

In a series of disturbing criminal cases, David Kember, a man with ties to Kilgetty and Upton, has been at the center of multiple allegations involving the sexual abuse of a young girl. The gravity of his offenses has led to significant legal proceedings, culminating in increased sentences and public outrage.

Back in October 2012, Kember, then aged 30 and residing on Rectory Road in Upton, was convicted at Worcester Crown Court of grooming and molesting an eight-year-old girl. The court heard that Kember, who was 22 at the time, began abusing the girl when she was just a child. His actions included indecent assaults and other sexual offenses, which he ultimately pleaded guilty to. The court found him guilty of two counts of indecent assault of a child under 13 and was convicted by a jury on six additional counts of sexual activity with a minor and inciting sexual activity.

During the trial, it was revealed that Kember's abuse started when the girl was only eight years old. After a period of absence from the area, he returned and resumed his abusive behavior, which escalated to full sexual intercourse by the time she reached her early teens. The court was told that Kember threatened to take his own life when the girl attempted to distance herself from him, further compounding the trauma she endured. The judge described Kember as a “weak and evil” individual, emphasizing the severity of his crimes.

Judge Robert Juckes QC sentenced Kember to seven years in prison, but this sentence was later increased to eleven years following an appeal. The Court of Appeal, comprising Lord Justice Pitchford, Mr Justice Cranston, and Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart, deemed the original sentence unduly lenient. They highlighted that Kember's grooming and repeated abuse had profoundly damaged the victim, who was only eight when the abuse began. The court noted that Kember's return to the area and subsequent reoffending made his case particularly egregious.

In their ruling, the judges stated that the victim had “lost her self-confidence and felt dirty” because of the abuse she suffered. The increased sentence reflects the court’s recognition of the gravity of his actions and the need for justice. The court also imposed a sex offenders’ protection order, prohibiting Kember from any unsupervised contact with children under 16 and barring him from working with children. Additionally, he is required to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Prior to this, in September 2012, Kember had already been sentenced to seven years for grooming and molesting the same girl. During that trial, he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault of a child under 13 and was found guilty of six other sexual offenses. The court described him as “weak and evil,” and the judge took into account his guilty pleas, reducing his sentence by a year to avoid a retrial. The judge emphasized that Kember had taken a sexual interest in the girl from an early age and exploited her vulnerability, which culminated in full sexual activity when she was 14.

Further complicating the case, in September 2012, Kember admitted to additional charges of indecent assault of a child under 13, relating to incidents from December 2003 to December 2004. These charges stemmed from a series of offenses over several years, during which Kember groomed the girl by professing love and engaging in a consensual relationship at times. Despite denying abuse, Kember’s actions were characterized by the court as grooming and manipulation, with the prosecution asserting that he had taken advantage of her during a period of family turmoil.

Throughout these proceedings, Kember’s legal representatives highlighted that he had no previous convictions and had not threatened or displayed violence towards the victim. Nevertheless, the court’s verdicts and subsequent sentencing underscore the serious nature of his crimes and the lasting impact on the victim. Kember’s case has drawn significant media attention, raising awareness about grooming and sexual abuse within communities in Kilgetty and Upton, and emphasizing the importance of justice for victims of such heinous acts.