Following conviction after a judge-alone trial, the court sentenced the offender for repeated sexual abuse of three young complainants who were daughters of family friends temporarily living with him.
Applying the sentencing guidance in sexual offences against children, the court emphasized the inherent wrongfulness of the conduct, the abuse of trust, the multiple victims, the threats used to secure silence, and the serious long-term harm caused.
Although separate victims ordinarily favoured consecutive sentences, the court held that a fully consecutive structure would offend the totality principle and instead imposed concurrent sentences reflecting the gravamen of the overall misconduct.
The offender received a global sentence of eight years' imprisonment together with firearms, child-protection, DNA, SOIRA, and no-contact ancillary orders.
