August 2013 Jailed for child abuse offences A PAEDOPHILE told a 13-year-old girl he would kill himself in front of her if she didn’t have sex with him. Richard Carter, of Court Orchard Road, Bridport, was jailed after admitting a string of offences, including sexual activity with a child and making indecent images. Dorchester Crown Court heard how 59-year-old Carter had taken the girl to a secluded area of woods and assaulted her. Prosecutor Jennie Rickman told the court that when interviewed, Carter said he was ‘in love’ with the victim and had even sent her a Valentine’s Day card. She added: “He told her he loved her. He told her he would kill himself if she told anyone. “He repeatedly told her that if she didn’t have sex with him he would kill himself in front of her.” Images of the victim were found on Carter’s phone and indecent images of children and other extreme images were found by police on his laptop. The court heard that Carter possessed images ranked from levels one to five – five being the most serious. He also possessed extreme images rated at level seven, which did not involve children. In total, Carter, who has been on incapacity benefits for 10 years, admitted 22 counts during two separate court appearances. In mitigation, John Dyer said of the images found, Mr Dyer added: “This was a very sad and depressed man’s cry for help as opposed to some sort of organised and systematic abuse of children.” Sentencing Carter to 66 months in total for all the offences, Judge Roger Jarvis told him he had ‘ruined’ the young girl’s life. He added that she should know what happened was not her fault and that Carter had ‘manipulated and exploited her.’ He said: “You manipulated and exploited her for your own sexual pleasure. You have an unwholesome attraction to all sorts of sexual activity. Plain it is you have ruined this child’s life.” He added: “You exploited her instinct to comply with someone so many years her senior. “In my view she had no idea as to what it was she as consenting and what consent meant in the circumstances that went on between you and she. “She has done nothing wrong, she is a victim.”