SHAUN POWELL, BRADFORD SERIAL CHILD RAPIST, SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN PRISON
In August 2017, Shaun Powell, a serial sex offender whose crimes have caused enduring psychological trauma to his victims, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.During the sentencing at Bradford Crown Court, the judge warned that Powell could potentially serve his entire sentence behind bars before being released on an extended seven-year license.
Powell, 46, lived in Bradford during the 1990s, where he targeted and abused a boy and a girl, eventually raping them.
He was arrested last year and pleaded guilty to all 15 charges brought against him, which included three counts of rape, eight indecent assaults, two charges of indecency with a child, and two counts of indecent assault on a male.
Prosecutor Sophie Drake stated that Powell was in his 20s when he committed the abuse.
Regarding the female victim, she explained that Powell molested her and forced her to watch pornography while he engaged in sexual acts on himself.
She recounted that he later dragged her onto some stairs and raped her as she screamed.
The male victim described how Powell sexually abused him when he visited Powell’s house to play video games.
Powell raped him twice, telling him it was "their little secret." In a court-read statement, the female victim described the abuse as “a horrid secret,” adding, “Powell took away my innocence, my childhood, and I trust no-one now.
I have been suicidal, depressed, and angry.
I have been on antidepressants since I was 15.
He has taken away my present, my future, and my past.” The male victim shared that he feels “emotionally closed off,” stating that the abuse built a barrier he cannot dismantle, causing irrevocable damage to his mental health and making it difficult for him to develop or maintain relationships.
Powell’s solicitor, Andrew Walker, highlighted that Powell is a married man and had not committed any offences in the past 17 years.
He also disclosed that after police questioning in April 2016, Powell was hospitalized for a month following a self-inflicted throat and chest stab wound.
He had also attempted to self-strangle and had drunk bleach.
Walker noted that Powell had ceased offending when he recognized the harm he was causing and was voluntarily admitting to the offenses even as he was being taken into custody.
Recorder Ben Nolan QC described Powell as “a serial child rapist.” Upon sentencing, Recorder Nolan told him, “This was a prolonged campaign of sexual abuse which culminated in the rape of both of your victims.
The horrifying and serial nature of your offending, and the degree of control you exercised over your victims, make you a dangerous offender.” Powell was sentenced to 16 years in prison as part of a 23-year extended detention order.
The judge clarified that Powell’s release depends on the Parole Board’s assessment of his safety, stating, “You will be released when only and if the Parole Board consider you are safe to be released.
In theory, you could serve the whole of that 16 years inside.”
