February 2015

Paedophile who raped 11-year-old after plying her with alcopop is told to accept his 17-year jail term

A man who raped and sexually abused an 11-year-old girl – after plying her with booze he said was “blue pop” – must accept his tough sentence, top judges have ruled.

Raymond Courtney Marasco, 53, gave his victim alcopop WKD Blue and bribed her with promises of gifts before encouraging her to perform sex acts.

Marasco, of Lewis Street, Crumlin, also abused a second schoolgirl on a bus and was jailed for 17 years at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court last March.

He was convicted of multiple counts of rape, indecency with a child and indecent assault.

On Thursday, three senior judges at London’s Appeal Court ruled there was “nothing wrong” with Marasco ‘s sentence and refused to reduce it by a day.

Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing said his modus operandi was to make the girl drowsy with the vodka-based alcopop, before molesting her.

He also told the girl he would buy her Pokemon games if she performed sex acts and persisted when she told him she wanted to stop.

Marasco attacked his second victim, who was 14, as she rode home on a bus. He sat next to her and struck up a conversation before putting his hands under her skirt.

When arrested, he denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the victims had made up the allegations.

However, he was found guilty of three counts of rape, three of indecency with a child and six of indecent assault.

At the time, the TV repair specialist had previous convictions for causing criminal damage, inflicting actual bodily harm and failing to surrender to police, but none for sex offences.

The author of a pre-sentence report said Marasco continued to deny all of the offences and “blamed his victims” for his convictions.

On appeal, Marasco’s counsel, Alexander Greenwood, argued that his overall sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

But Mrs Justice Laing, sitting with Lord Justice Treacy and Mr Justice King, said: “In our judgment, the sentence was merited by Marasco’s conduct.

“There is nothing in the point that the sentence was too long.”

However, as all his offences were against young females, the judge amended a sexual offences prevention order so that Marasco can have unsupervised contact with underage boys – but not girls – after his release.

March 2014

Sex abuser jailed for ‘humiliating campaign’ against two young girls

A man has been jailed for 17 years after carrying out a “humiliating campaign” of sexual abuse against two young girls.

One victim of Raymond Marasco tried to commit suicide, while the other had to be persuaded by her husband to wear a dress at her own wedding, after he put his hand up her skirt on a bus, a court was told.

The 53-year-old, who is originally from Cardiff, had denied 12 counts of sexual abuse – 11 against one girl, including rape and indecent assault, and gross indecency against the other. But a jury found him guilty.

Jailing him at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Judge Richard Twomlow said: “This was careful grooming over a period of five years.

“It was a campaign of sexual abuse. It was humiliating and degrading.”

Ieuan Morris, prosecuting, said while babysitting one victim, Marasco would run his hands up her leg and inside her underwear before progressing to more serious abuse.

Mr Morris said he gave the pre-teen girl alcohol “disguised as blue pop” so she fell asleep, allowing him to carry her into a bedroom to have sex with her. The court heard he raped her on subsequent occasions.

“She remembers the pain she endured but did no disclose the abuse she was suffering,” said Mr Morris.

He also promised the child toys if she performed sex acts on him.

The court heard that, as a result, she had tried to commit suicide and would bang her head repeatedly against walls “until she was numb”.

Mr Morris said: “She said she was a happy child but stopped smiling. She feels she is not capable of having a normal life. She has nightmares which are horrific and occur when she tries to forget what happens to her.”

The court heard her relationship with her partner had been affected and she suffered flashbacks but she wished to move on with her life.

Marasco assaulted his second victim as she sat on a bus, running his hand up her skirt.

“She said that since then she has never worn a skirt and her husband had to talk her into wearing a wedding dress,” said Mr Morris.

Alexander Greenwood, defending, said Marasco, who now lives in Lewis Street, Crumlin, was intelligent and had worked all his life but he had now lost his life savings and his home because of the convictions.

Marasco will have to sign as a sex offender for life and is barred from working with children.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.