DAVID DOWLING TREBOETH PENSIONER FOUND NOT GUILTY OF SEX ASSAULT BUT ADMITTED TO POSSESSING INDECENT IMAGES

In December 2012, Treboeth pensioner David Dowling, aged 68, was acquitted by a jury at Swansea Crown Court of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl. The alleged victim, who is now 21, testified that Dowling, a father of three, assaulted her between 1997 and 2000. The jury was informed that Dowling would be sentenced later after he admitted to possessing indecent images of children.

The court heard that the images depicted young girls aged between four and ten years old, all of which were discovered on Dowling’s computer following his arrest in October 2011 related to the alleged assault.

Dowling explained that he had encountered the images unintentionally, stating, “I came across the images accidentally and clicked on them while surfing the internet because I was inquisitive.” He expressed his shock upon learning that they had been found on his device.

The trial lasted less than an hour, with Dowling being cleared of the charges. He denied ever assaulting the girl or bribing her to stay silent about the incident.

The complainant described the alleged assault, stating that Dowling had put his hands inside her trousers and touched her. She recounted that there was pornography playing on a television during the assault and that Dowling began “feeling around” inside her clothing. She further claimed he had also touched her while she danced and, at one point, had lain on top of her, to which she repeatedly said “no.”

“I remember I was dancing and he said, ‘Keep dancing,’ and he started touching my body. The song was ‘Ooh Ah… just a little bit.’ I remember that,” she told the court.

She admitted she hadn’t reported the incident at the time because she was “too young” and later tried to “block it out.”

During the trial, prosecution barrister Stephen Rees suggested that Dowling “fantasised” about acting out scenes from the indecent images he possessed, to which Dowling responded, “No, I disagree totally with that.”

When asked if he had an “unhealthy” interest in young girls, Dowling firmly denied it, saying, “No, I disagree totally with that.”

Dowling also told defence barrister Huw Rees that he was “shocked” by the allegations of sexual assault made against him, emphasizing his disbelief at the accusations.