July 2010

Ormesby teenager locked up for abuse on girl

A TEENAGE rapist was locked up for eight years after he first targeted his victim when she was only nine.

Daniel Salter, 19, pictured, from Middlesbrough, was still denying he was guilty when he was locked up at Teesside Crown Court yesterday after also being ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

He claimed the girl, who is now 14, was lying at his trial in June when a jury convicted him of all 15 sex charges. Some of them were only specimens because of the number of acts.

Salter wore rosary beads around his neck when he was sentenced as his mother wept in the public gallery.

He sexually abused the girl for five years, ending in the rape last year.

Prosecutor Rupert Doswell said the girl told police she had been too scared to tell her mother and she did not think that she would be believed.

Salter often subjected the girl to sexual assaults even through her screams, and when she was 12 he was abusing her every week.

Paul Cleasby, defending, said Salter was a juvenile when the offences were committed, and he was only 15 at one stage. He had tried to join the Army but he failed the medical.

Mr Cleasby added: “The rape itself lasted a couple of seconds. His family are supportive, and once he is released he will be back in the arms of the family. This will be his first custodial sentence.

“At the time these offences were committed he was a child – it must in my submission reduce the sentence by a number of years, but I am realistic, he has to go away and the sentence will be pretty long.”

Judge Les Spittle told Salter: “The picture that is painted is that it started in 2004 when you were 14 and she was about nine years of age, and you commenced upon a course of sexual behaviour towards her.

“You have repeated it over ensuing years to obtain your sexual gratification to the disadvantage of this girl.

“When she got older and began to realise what was happening she began to resist.”

The judge added: “There is an inevitable substantial sentence. You have not accepted any responsibility for your behaviour, you did not do that at your trial and you did not do it during the pre-sentence report.”

Salter, of Farmbank Road, Ormesby, was sent to a young offenders’ institution for eight years, ordered to register as a sex offender for life and given a life ban on unsupervised contact with children under 16 in a sexual offences prevention order after he was found guilty of rape, attempted rape, six offences of sexual activity with a child, five of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual assault on a female.

Det Con Ged Swash, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, praised witnesses for their bravery.

He said: “I commend the witnesses in this case for the courage shown in giving evidence, particularly the victim.

“The sentence given reflects the seriousness of the offences and the impact it had on his victim.”