January 2015

Traumatised six-year-old Yeovil rape victim can’t get mental health support because he’s ‘too young’

Paedophile Sean Armstrong pictured above

TAXPAYERS could shell out more than £400,000 to keep a child rapist who targeted a Yeovil boy behind bars.

But his six-year-old victim has been left to deal with the trauma with no help from publicly-funded social services or the NHS.

His mum has begged the authorities to urgently offer her son psychological help.

She is terrified her child will grow up to repeat the abuses that were inflicted on him.

But more than a year since the attacks, the child victim has received no help from Somerset County Council’s social services, Somerset’s children’s mental health services or his Yeovil GP.

His helpless mother, who cannot be named to protect the anonymity of her child, said: “I have been told by social services that there is ‘no need’ for their involvement.

“I went to my GP but they said they can’t give a referral because my son is too young.

“His behaviour has spiralled out of control. He wants to hurt people. He kicks and punches me and my partner.

“He has a three-year-old brother and he hurts him too. He has started touching him in places that he shouldn’t be touching him. When I tell him not to he says ‘I had it done to me so why can’t I do it to him?’

“I’m scared that he will grow up to repeat what was done to him. He needs one-to-one help like psychological counselling.”

Her child was abused during a period of several months while the family lived in West Sussex.

His attacker Sean Armstrong, 48, of Market Close, Barnham, was jailed by Chichester Crown Court after admitting 12 counts of child abuse against two victims which included raping a child, sexual assault, engaging a child in sexual activity and making indecent images of a child.

He is now serving a 16 year prison sentence, at an estimated cost of £419,000 to the public purse. (According to MOD paper which says average cost of prison places per year in 2012/13 is £26,139

But the victim’s mum is still battling to secure funding for her son’s psychological treatment. The 25-year-old said: “The events put huge pressure on my marriage and we ended up splitting up. I moved to Yeovil in March 2014 to be nearer my own mum. I started by trying to get help through the school, which is fully aware of his history, and I was put in touch with a support worker at the school. I speak to her every day. The school has been pretty good, and once a week my son takes part in group play sessions held by Barnardo’s for children with problems, but it is a group thing and he needs individual help.

“The support worker has been in touch with several different services. She has had meetings with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), but they said they could not do anything unless we could prove he has a mental health issue. I have idea how we would do that.

“Social services said it is looking at getting funding for some one-on-one help but it said it has more urgent cases.

“Only when my son started making up lies at school about being mistreated were social services interested.

“He told his teachers at school that his stepdad had abandoned him outside all night and only picked him up to take him to school.

“Then there was a social care referral and they came to the house, and I had to explain what he has been though. They found there was no risk from me or my partner and they said they would stay involved to get him some help. That was back in July. Then there was another meeting in December, and the woman from social services said she was going to look into getting him some help, but it hasn’t happened.

“I really don’t know what to do. My support worker has tried the best she can but she is the first to admit that she doesn’t have the expertise and he needs psychological help”

The mum added: “Before the abuse he was just a typical child. He used to go out and play and of course sometimes he would argue if you asked him to do something. But there has been a very big change in his behaviour.”

November 2014

Barnham man sent to prison for ‘appalling’ crimes

A BARNHAM man who carried out ‘wicked and depraved’ abuse has been jailed for 16 years for sexually assaulting two young children.

Sean Armstrong, 48, of Market Close, was handed down the term at Chichester Crown Court on Friday after he previously pleaded guilty to 12 counts which included raping a child, sexual assault, engaging a child in sexual activity and making indecent images of a child.

Judge Christopher Parker QC said: “You have carried out some wicked and depraved activities and you assaulted such small helpless victims in a way that is impossible for any normal person to understand.

“You have caused an impossible trauma to the parents.

“You carried out appalling cases of sexual abuse on a tiny child.”

Judge Parker said some of the sentences he passed would also be subject to a period of extended licence and he also ordered a life-long sexual prevention order be put in place.

The court heard Armstrong was arrested in July after it was discovered between September, 2007, and June, 2009, he had sexually abused a child.

These offences had only come to light after Armstrong was arrested in December of last year for offences against another child.

Mr Gardiner, prosecuting, said Armstrong’s crimes had a ‘devastating impact’ on the victims.

“I would refer your honour to the victim impact statements.

“I do not think it is appropriate to go through those in open court but I think from reading them you will see it is safe to say these crimes have had a devastating impact on the victims’ families.”

Miss Shields, defending, told the court Armstrong, who she said was of previous good character, was ‘racked with guilt’.

She said: “He is also wishing to apologise through me to the families of these children for the appalling wrong that he has done them.

“He does accept these crimes are sickening and deeply concerning and will have inevitably left deep scars on the victims.

“By pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity available to him he has at least spared the families the trauma of a full criminal trial.”

Miss Shields added that Armstrong had broken down and was unable to give any reason for his actions.