GARY RICHARDS PLYMOUTH PAEDOPHILE SENTENCED FOR 30 YEARS OF ABUSE
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Plymouth, Gary Richards, a 56-year-old man, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a prolonged history of sexual abuse and exploitation of young girls spanning over three decades.The court heard that Richards had committed heinous acts against four young victims, some as young as four years old, and had even gone as far as filming some of the abuse, further compounding the severity of his crimes.
Richards finally admitted to 44 charges brought against him, although it is understood that some of these charges represent multiple offenses, with certain counts serving as specimen charges for a larger pattern of abuse.
One of the victims disclosed to police that she had been subjected to abuse approximately 50 times over several years, highlighting the extent and persistence of Richards' predatory behavior.
During the sentencing at Plymouth Crown Court, Judge Paul Darlow emphasized the gravity of Richards' actions.
He stated, “The charges reflect a determined course of sexual predation driven by your taste for extreme sexual deviancy.
You over the years have been adept at engineering situations which allow you access to very young girls to perpetrate the abuse.” Richards, who was previously residing on Butt Park Road in Honicknowle, pleaded guilty to all but two of the 44 charges.
These included seven counts of raping a child under 13, with incidents occurring between 2004 and 2011.
At an earlier court appearance, Richards, whose address was listed as Exeter prison, also admitted to 12 counts of indecent assault on three girls, one of whom was only four years old at the time.
The court proceedings revealed that Richards' offending spanned an alarming 30-year period.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of taking indecent photographs of children.
One particularly disturbing charge involved the creation of 4,709 indecent images of children between October 2006 and April 2013.
These images varied in severity, with 4,709 classified as level one, and additional counts involving 149 images at level four and 10 at the most serious level five.
Furthermore, Richards admitted to one count of voyeurism, which involved secretly observing a person engaged in a private act for sexual gratification.
However, he pleaded not guilty to two other charges—namely, the sexual assault and rape of a child under 13.
The court was informed that the offenses, committed over a span of 30 years, involved five different female victims, each providing accounts of the abuse.
Judge Darlow sentenced Richards to serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence, which equates to at least 10 years and eight months, before he can be considered for parole.
The judge made it clear that Richards would only be released early if the parole board determines he no longer poses a threat to the public, underscoring the seriousness of his crimes and the potential danger he still represents.
