March 2006 Family in sex abuse case tell of trauma THE mother-of-two children sexually abused by a 61-year-old Winchcombe man has spoken of the trauma her family has been through since his crimes came to light last year. Mrs A, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, a boy aged 12 and a girl aged seven, said she had never suspected that David Pulley would have harmed her children, who were only aged seven and four at the time of the offences. Pulley of Barnmeadow Road, Winchcombe, was jailed for two years nine months at Gloucester Crown Court last Friday. Mr Davis told the court the parents of both the children knew Pulley and trusted him to entertain the youngsters at his home. The boy was a frequent visitor to Pulley’s house, going there to watch TV and play, Mr Davis said. The little girl was assaulted when she visited the house while Pulley was sitting on the toilet and he got her to sit on his lap, added Mr Davis. “If I was going to work he would say they can come round my house. It was just for a couple of hours,” she said. While Mrs A’s son was in his home, Pulley had shown him porn magazines and videos. He had also touched him intimately and made the boy’s sister sit on his lap while he was sitting on the toilet. “I don’t think I could put into words what I think about him. My husband wanted to go down and beat his head in. The only thing that has kept him away is the thought that it would be him that ended up being locked up,” she said. The abuse of the children came to light last May, when the boy was staying with friends. Both children appear to be coping well, though their mum admits they have both suffered as a result of their experiences. “When my daughter stays with her nanny, she starts crying and says ‘I’m frightened Dave’s going to come in and get me’,” said Mrs A. She said her son had problems from other children after the accusations were made but now says he is sick of talking about it. “I quite admire him really. He had so much stick over it.” Mrs A said she was reasonably happy with Pulley’s sentence, which apart from the two years nine months in prison for the offences against her son, also mean that he will be under a three-year licence when he comes out of jail and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely. “Before I went to court I wouldn’t have been pleased with that, but they were playing on his age. “He will be watched and he will lose his house in Winchcombe,” she said. “My message to other parents is to be much more wary about who you trust with your kids,” she added. Her husband said: “I’m pleased there has been some recognition of what he’s done. In an ideal world it could have been a longer sentence but at least I hope he won’t come out and do it to any other children.”