DAVID BYE'S RAPE SENTENCE APPEAL REJECTED IN MERTHYR

On 4 December 2009, a predatory paedophile named David Bye lost his appeal against his prison sentence. Bye, who pleaded guilty to the rape and sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13 and possession of 17,600 indecent images of children—some taken by himself—was sentenced in April to an indeterminate term for the protection of the public. He was also ordered to serve a minimum of five and a half years before being considered for parole.

At Merthyr Crown Court, it was revealed that 43-year-old Bye had groomed multiple victims and had taken photographs of himself raping one of them. Police believe he was the first individual convicted of child rape involving a victim who has never been identified.

Prosecutor Ieuan Morris described Bye as a "predatory paedophile and sexual pervert," who had secretly engaged in two known acts of sexual penetration with a pre-pubescent girl—either while she was asleep or otherwise unconscious—in the privacy of his static caravan in Mid Wales.

Bye was known to have befriended vulnerable single mothers and even a father so he could exploit their children. He reportedly used his own young daughter as a means to access his victims, although there was no evidence she was a victim herself.

His criminal activity was uncovered when Bye, working as an accountant in Reading three days a week, needed to call IT support for an issue with his laptop. His defense lawyer, Ian Ibrahim, told three appeal judges in London that Bye was aware he would be discovered when surrendering his computer and did not attempt to destroy or alter any images.

Ibrahim noted that Bye had shown remorse and had voluntarily sought help for his paedophilia while on bail. Despite these factors, Mr Justice Roderick Evans, sitting with Lord Justice Aikens and the Recorder of Brighton and Hove, dismissed Bye’s claim that his minimum sentence was manifestly excessive.