Select a region
A 57-year-old man has been jailed for 20 years for what were described as "amongst the most egregious sexual offences to come before the Royal Court".
Liverpool-born Paul Kelly faced an eight-day Royal Court trial earlier this year after denying eight counts of rape, 19 charges of sexually touching or encouraging a child to sexually touch him, and one charge of grave and criminal assault.
He was unanimously found guilty by jurors after just over four hours’ deliberation.
The 57-year-old was remanded in custody in June.
Today, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas, prosecuting, outlined "sustained and regular sexual abuse over a period of eight years" during which Kelly isolated and groomed the victim.
In a statement read by her advocate to the court, the victim said: "It's going to take a lifetime to recover from what happened.
"I am serving a life sentence due to what Mr Kelly inflicted on me.
"I mourn the loss of my childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
"The impact upon my life has been catastrophic."
The Crown Advocate said that a combination of these factors had caused "extreme psychological harm" to the victim.
"She was deprived of her childhood," he said. "Some of her earliest memories are of being abused."
Kelly's actions were "amongst the most egregious sexual offences to come before the Royal Court", added Advocate Thomas.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, said Kelly maintained his innocence and intended to appeal the verdict.
Advocate Boothman added that the delay in bringing him to trial should be grounds for a shorter sentence.
"In a small community like Jersey, this has had a significant impact on him and his ability to live his life," the defence advocate said.
Kelly was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for all 28 charges. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 20 years.
Jurats Lieutenant Bailiff Jane Ronge, Kim Averty, Gareth Hughes, Andrew Cornish and Michael Entwistle were sitting.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Caroline Foord said: “These crimes are the most abhorrent in nature and caused a very high level of suffering and distress to the victim.
"We hope that today’s sentencing will provide the much-needed reassurance that the victim can begin to re-build her future. This case highlights the very challenging circumstances faced by many victims who have been subjected to sexual abuse.
"Although this was an historic event, we praise this victim for the courage and strength she has found, to come forward to the Police to report this situation. The victim was given reassurance that a thorough investigation would be conducted and the evidence was compelling.
“We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders no matter how long ago the offences occurred and we want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are in a position to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process.”
Islanders affected by any of the issues raised in this report can contact any of the following:
Jersey Domestic Abuse Support comprises Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) for high-risk domestic cases, Outreach Workers for non-high risk domestic cases, Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and also specialist Child and Young Person workers for both domestic and sexual abuse cases.
SARC at Dewberry House provides expert independent and confidential support to victims of sexual abuse. Tel: 01534 888222.
Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR) provide and maintain a supporting framework for survivors and their families. Confidential helpline: 01534 482800.
Freeda (formerly Jersey Women’s Refuge) offer help and support for victims of domestic abuse. Tel: 0800 7356836.
Victim Support offer free and confidential advice to victims of crime. Tel: 01534 440496.
Victims First Jersey is a free and independent service offering confidential support to victims and witnesses of crime. Tel: 0800 7351612.
Samaritans offer a confidential and non-judgemental listening ear to people who need to talk. Tel: 116 123 free from any phone or 0330 094 5717 (local call charges apply).
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.