VILE PAEDOPHILE JAILED FOR 'RUINING THE LIFE' OF HIS YOUNG VICTIM WITH SICK ABUSE
A convicted paedophile who caused lifelong trauma to his young victim has finally faced punishment more than four decades after the crimes occurred.John Storey, aged between 33 and 35 at the time, subjected a schoolgirl to prolonged abuse in the late 1970s.
The Newcastle Crown Court heard that his actions included touching her private parts, forcing her to touch his genitals, and engaging in sexual acts.
Prosecutor Tom Storey explained that the girl recalled waking up to find the defendant nearby before the abuse started.
She felt powerless to stop him.
Following some of these incidents, he reportedly advised her to keep silent, claiming that people would disbelieve her and that if she spoke out, her father's relationship with his sons could be affected.
Initially, she was too frightened to disclose what was happening.
The trauma led her to struggle with substance abuse and seek counseling.
It was during therapy that she confided in her counselor about the abuse, which eventually prompted her to report it to police in February of the previous year.
In her statement, she described the profound impact on her life, including difficulty making friends and feelings of guilt.
She recounted turning to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain and guilt, believing that the defendant had exploited her vulnerability.
She expressed remorse for not speaking out sooner, fearing other potential victims had suffered as well.
Storey, from Kingston Green in Newcastle, was detained and questioned on March 4, 2020.
Though he initially denied the allegations, he later pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child.
It was revealed that Storey had a history of abusing young girls, including a more than ten-year prison sentence starting in 2008 for sex offences such as rape and attempted rape.
He had also received a conditional discharge in 1977 following an act of intercourse with a girl under 16, which his recent abuse would have contravened.
Defending solicitor Paul Caulfield noted that Storey suffered from serious lung disease, reducing his lifespan and making him vulnerable to COVID-19.
Judge Penny Moreland sentenced him to six years in prison, with the possibility of early release if deemed no longer a risk, after serving half his sentence.
The judge criticized Storey for silencing his victim through intimidation, stating that his actions had destroyed her life.
She condemned him as a persistent predator of young girls.
Storey was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and pay a victim surcharge as part of his sentence.
