MARK NASH, MELKSHAM PAEDOPHILE, SENTENCED TO 26 YEARS FOR RAPING TWO GIRLS

In July 2014, Mark Nash, a dangerous paedophile from Melksham, was sentenced to 26 years in prison for grooming and raping two young sisters. Nash assaulted one girl shortly after she turned 13 and the other when she was 14. During the incident, he also showed one of the children a disturbing movie depicting a minor being raped by an adult and told her, 'If she can do it you can.' Nash, aged 39 at the time, previously served time in 2004 after admitting to possessing indecent images of children on his computer. He denied all charges related to the recent offences, which occurred between early 1999 and January 2004, but was convicted following a trial at Swindon Crown Court last month. The jury was told Nash initially took photographs of one of the girls before progressing to indecent touching and attempted rape. While in a work lorry, he displayed a movie from his collection and told the girl she should behave like the victim in the film. Nash, of Awdry Avenue, Melksham, claimed he was innocent of the charges. His defense solicitor, Sarah Jones, stated, 'He did learn, he did stop. That can be cause for optimism given the work that will be done with him in prison as he serves what must be a lengthy sentence.' Judge Douglas Field, sentencing Nash on Thursday, described the offences as 'very, very serious' and highlighted Nash’s grooming and manipulative behavior aimed at satisfying his perverted desires. The judge acknowledged that the victims are unlikely to recover from their trauma and expressed hope that the sentence might provide them with some closure. He referred to Nash as a dangerous paedophile, considering the evidence from the trial and Nash’s previous conviction for child pornography. Since his earlier sentence, Nash has not reoffended. The judge emphasized that Nash must register as a sex offender for life and obey a sexual offences prevention order that prohibits him from contacting girls under 16.