ROBERT AND DAVID HAYNES FROM SWINDON AND PARK NORTH JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE AND RAPE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Swindon and the surrounding Park North area, Robert Haynes, aged 67, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of systematically abusing a young girl during the 1970s. The abuse, which spanned several years, began when the girl was only eight years old and continued until she reached the age of 13, leaving a lasting impact on her mental health and well-being.

The court proceedings revealed that the abuse started in 1973, just before the girl’s ninth birthday. At that time, Robert Haynes, who was in his thirties, began by indecently touching her. As the years progressed, his misconduct escalated to forcing her to perform sexual acts, which caused significant trauma. The court heard that the victim suffered from depression and feelings of low self-worth as a direct result of the abuse.

Prosecutor Stephen Dent detailed the harrowing effects of the abuse, describing how the girl would bathe in antiseptic fluids similar to Dettol, which, despite its foul smell, was the only way she felt she could cleanse herself. She also used Ajax scouring powder to brush her teeth after being coerced into sex acts. The court was told that, even decades later, she continues to struggle with self-loathing, eating disorders, alcohol abuse, and suicidal thoughts. Despite undergoing extensive therapy, her suffering persists, highlighting the profound and lifelong impact of the abuse she endured.

Robert Haynes, who was residing in Swindon at the time of the offences and is currently living at a bail hostel in Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault. However, he denied six additional counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child, which were subsequently left on file. His defense attorney, Oscar Del Fabbro, described his client as a “broken man” filled with remorse and suffering from serious health issues, including a quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2000 and a long-term illness.

Judge Douglas Field, presiding over the case at Swindon Crown Court, sentenced Robert Haynes to eight years in prison. The judge emphasized the lasting damage caused by the abuse, stating, “She now feels worthless and ashamed: suicidal. It has had the most profound lifelong effects upon her.” The court also imposed a lifelong ban on Haynes working with children and ordered him to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Adding to the distressing nature of this case, it was revealed that David Haynes, Robert’s brother, who was 55 years old at the time of his sentencing in June of the previous year, was also convicted of multiple sex offences. Residing on Tavistock Road in Park North, David Haynes received a 14-year prison sentence after being found guilty of raping four young girls over a period of 25 years. One of the victims was the same girl abused by Robert Haynes, further highlighting the disturbing pattern of abuse within the family and the community.