Man jailed for abusing girl, 30 years ago (From Chelmsford Weekly News)

Man jailed for abusing girl, 30 years ago

7:30am Friday 25th January 2013 in News

A MAN has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young girl more than 30 years ago.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Paul Denning claimed abuse by an uncle when he was a child led him to carrying out the assaults on the girl.

But Denning, 59, was told by Judge Karen Walden Smith he had carried out the assaults for his own sexual gratification.

Judge Smith told Denning: “Matters were complicated by the fact, at or around that time, you were being abused by your own uncle and your sexual boundaries were blurred considerably.

“Your offending had a devastating effect on on the victim – a persistent course of sexual offending. You were aged 18-24 and the offences took place more than 30 years ago.”

Denning, of Sawkins Avenue, Chelmsford, was jailed for 18 months after he admitted eight charges of sexual assault between 1971 and 1978 at two locations in the Chelmsford area.

The court heard the offences took place over a six-year period from the time the girl was aged about five. Matters came to light when the victim told her mother last year.

Jonathan Lennon, mitigating, told the court Denning had been abused by his father’s stepbrother which had a devastating effect upon him.

He added Denning had moved on and there was no underlying problem. Mr Lennon told the court: “As often, a victim of abuse becomes the abuser.”