DENNIS ROCHA AND SHOCKING CRIME IN SUFFOLK AND WILTSHIRE

A young man stationed at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk has been sentenced to prison for a disturbing case of sexual assault involving a 12-year-old girl with autism. Dennis Rocha, aged 18, was found guilty of engaging in illegal sexual activity with the minor after grooming her through social media platform Snapchat.

The investigation revealed that Rocha was aware of the girl’s age when their communication turned to a sexual nature. Despite knowing she was only 12, he arranged to meet her in person. The defendant traveled a significant distance of approximately 140 miles from his base at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to Wiltshire, where the girl resided. In April of the current year, Rocha drove to the girl's home address, collected her, and together they journeyed to a secluded location.

Once at the secluded site, Rocha and the girl engaged in sexual intercourse inside his vehicle. According to police reports, the encounter lasted about an hour, during which they had sex on multiple occasions. On one of these occasions, the condom Rocha used slipped off, complicating the case further. The girl later expressed feelings of regret and anger towards herself, revealing the emotional and psychological toll the incident had taken.

The victim's mother shared insights into her daughter’s condition, indicating she was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. She explained that her daughter continues to struggle with significant developmental challenges. These include difficulty with communication, an inability to make eye contact, reluctance to speak to strangers, difficulty socializing with peers, and challenges in coping with mainstream education environments. The girl expressed remorse verbally to police, stating that she was sorry for the impact her actions had on others, particularly her mother, who wished she would have been older and in love when she experienced her first sexual encounter.

In court, Judge James Townsend sentenced Rocha to six years and eight months behind bars for two counts of raping a child under the age of 13. Additionally, he ordered a one-year extension of license restrictions. The prosecution's representative, Chris Smyth, detailed that during the sexual encounter, which lasted approximately one hour, the two participants engaged in intercourse multiple times, with one incident involving the condom slipping off.

The judge emphasized the defendant’s blatant disregard for boundaries and the vulnerability of the victim, stating, “You had ample opportunity to think twice about what you were doing but you persisted. You knew that she was far younger than you and obviously vulnerable.”

Furthermore, Rocha was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order with indefinite effect, and he is required to sign the sex offenders' register upon release. He was also placed on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) barred list, preventing him from working with children in the future.

Commenting on the case, Detective Constable Amanda Lord, who is part of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, stated, “Rocha initiated this encounter with the victim despite knowing she was underage. He was fully aware that his actions were illegal and had more than enough opportunity to stop contact, yet he chose to continue and exploit her for his own benefit.”