Man sentenced to prison for sexually abusing two children

A man has been sentenced to almost three decades in prison after sexually abusing two young girls.

David Hedges from Dilton Marsh was found guilty of three counts of having sex with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault against the same girls on 17 occasions.

Hedges, 57, abused the girls over several years in the 1990s and 2000s.

He was jailed for 28 years at Salisbury Crown Court, plus a further year on licence.

Hedges will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least two-thirds of his sentence, when his case will be reviewed.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Hedges is subject to the requirements of being a registered sex offender, the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and the terms of a restraining order to ban future contact with children indefinitely.

Det Con Graham Mansell of Wiltshire Police said steps were taken in 2005 to prevent “further abuse” but the investigation was reopened in 2017 “after victims bravely came forward and gave their evidence to detectives from the child abuse investigation team”.

“I welcome this sentence as it reflects the seriousness of these offenses and the impact they have had on the victims,” ​​he said.

“While custodial sentences eventually end, long-term protection is provided by orders that further prohibit future contact with children.”

Det Con Mansell added that victims who found the “strength and courage” to come forward allowed an investigation to continue and their abuser to be prosecuted.

“I would like to thank the victims for their incredible courage in coming forward and relating what are undoubtedly the most painful and traumatic incidents at a time when they were both very young and vulnerable,” he said.

“Their ability to do so made it possible to carry out a successful prosecution, resulting in today’s sentence.

“This could not have been achieved without their resilience and resilience. Without their evidence it would have been impossible to judge his aggressor”.

Det Con Mansell encouraged other victims to come forward.

“We will investigate, give you all the support available and do everything we can to bring such criminals to justice,” he said.

Those wishing to report sexual abuse can contact Wiltshire Police on 101 and seek advice and support from the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC).