Paedophile described as 'predator and a danger to children' jailed for 15 years
by Nicole Goodwin · ChronicleLiveA paedophile has been jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of raping a girl.
Benjamin English, who was previously known as Steven Watts, initially pleaded guilty to inciting sexual activity with three girls and was given a suspended sentence.
English was later jailed for five years for raping a girl five times and following this offence, he changed his name by deed poll to English.
But after struggling with the abuse she had suffered, one of the original three victims further reported being raped by the 58-year-old, a former Army Cadet Colour Sergeant in Peterlee.
English, of Middlesbrough, denied the offence but was found guilty by a jury at Durham Crown Court and on Friday was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Safeguarding Detective Constable Graeme Whitfield, of Durham Constabulary, who led the investigation, said: "English is a predator and a danger to children and this was a sickening abuse of trust that had a significant impact on the victim's wellbeing.
"The victim felt able to come forward and tell detectives the whole story and we thank her for her courage in doing so and the fortitude she showed in helping us bring English to justice.
"If you have been a victim of abuse, please come forward and report it. We will believe you."
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.