RICHARD HARRIS SENTENCED IN TRURO FOR CHILD SEXUAL OFFENCES

A 15-year-old girl has bravely come forward to share her traumatic experience of self-harm linked to sexual abuse by Richard Harris, a 44-year-old father of two. The girl, who is not related to Harris, recounted that she would spend hours in the shower trying to wash away the trauma she suffered. Harris appeared at Truro Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including engaging in sexual activity with a minor, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and producing indecent images of a child.

Prosecutor Jason Beal described how Harris inappropriately touched the girl and sent her explicit messages during his work hours, which eventually included a request for topless photographs. The victim told her mother about the abuse, leading to investigations by the NSPCC and police. Harris sent a message inappropriately stating, “I keep forgetting you’re only 15.”

In her victim impact statement, the girl detailed suffering from ongoing nightmares, a sense of disgust, panic attacks, and social anxiety as consequences of the abuse. She also admitted to self-harming using a razor blade. Harris’s lawyer, Rupert Taylor, conveyed that his client felt “regret, sorrow, and shame,” and expressed concern about the impact of incarceration on Harris’s partner and children.

However, Judge Simon Carr condemned the systematic nature of Harris's misconduct, noting it would have continued unless the girl had the courage to report it. He described Harris’s offences as sufficiently serious to warrant immediate imprisonment. Harris was sentenced to six years in prison, subject to a sexual harm prevention order, and mandated to register as a sex offender for life.