A ‘despicable’ rapist who fled to Northampton after carrying out a series of attacks on a young girl over more than two years has been jailed for 10 years.
Bruce Townsend, 48, raped and abused the girl “about every two weeks” between 2004 and 2006 when she was aged between 14 and 16.
During a week-long trial at Chichester Crown Court, the jury heard how, after police began investigating allegations in July, 2006, Townsend fled first to Northampton, then to Spain, where he stayed for almost a year.
David Scutt, prosecuting, said: “He had been caught. He panicked and he ran away.”
Mr Scutt said Townsend, of Whitebeam Road, Durrington, waited until “things had died down” before returning to Northampton, where he was arrested last May.
Speaking to the court via a video link, the victim, now 17 years old, tearfully described her terror at Townsend’s years of abuse, saying it made her feel “scared, horrible and dirty”.
Worthing detective DC Moss Chandler said: “This is a despicable crime for which this man has received a lengthy sentence and he will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.”
After the jury of eight men and four women unanimously found him guilty on all charges, Judge William Wood jailed Townsend for 10 years for each of four counts of rape and for four years for each of three counts of another serious sexual offence, to run concurrently.
He was also served with a sexual offences prevention order, banning him from living or staying with anyone under the age of 16 and from trying to contact his victim.
He was also banned from communicating with any girl under 16 with a view to seeing her alone, except in public places such as when being served in a shop or when given written authorisation by child protection authorities.
