WAYNE ROWLAND SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR RAPE AND ABUSE IN TODMORDEN

In a case that has shocked the community of Todmorden, Wayne Rowland, aged 38, of Every Street, Halifax Road, was sentenced to a decade behind bars after being found guilty of heinous crimes involving a young girl. The Bradford Crown Court heard harrowing details of the abuse that spanned over a decade, beginning when the victim was just seven years old.

Rowland was convicted of rape along with 16 counts of indecent assault. The court was told that his actions were not isolated incidents but part of a systematic pattern of abuse that devastated the victim’s childhood and left lasting scars. Judge Jonathan Durham Hall, presiding over the case, delivered a stern warning to Rowland, stating, “You were using her as a sexual plaything on virtually a daily basis. You destroyed her childhood and made her relive the abuse before this jury.”

The court proceedings revealed that the offences occurred between 1993 and 2005, with the abuse beginning when the girl was only seven years old. The initial acts involved inappropriate touching under her clothing, which escalated to forcing her into performing sexual acts. On one particularly disturbing occasion, Rowland raped her within her own home, further violating her trust and safety.

The victim, now 21, disclosed the abuse to her mother, prompting police intervention. During police interviews in December of the previous year, Rowland denied all allegations, maintaining his innocence. Despite this, the jury found him guilty of the majority of the charges, though he was acquitted of two counts of indecency with a child, a sexual assault, and another indecent assault following a direction from Judge Durham Hall.

Throughout the verdict reading, Rowland displayed no visible emotion, remaining stoic as the court confirmed his guilt. The judge emphasized the severity and routine nature of the abuse, describing it as “systematic, routine and regular.” He further remarked on the profound and lasting impact on the victim, stating, “The effect on her will never, this court knows, be truly calculated. Emotional illness, weight loss, and sleep deprivation are all clearly attributable to systematic abuse by you, and all she was asking you to do was to have the guts and the courage to say what you had done.”

As part of his sentence, Rowland will be registered for life on the sex offenders register, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions. The case has left a lasting mark on the community of Todmorden, highlighting the importance of vigilance and justice in protecting vulnerable individuals from such systematic abuse.