DAVID RIGDEN FROM HUGGATE SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN STOCKTON AND DRIFFIELD

In February 2017, a man named David Rigden, who was well-known in the Stockton market community for selling prams and buggies, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 11 years after being convicted of multiple serious sexual offenses involving a young girl. The court proceedings revealed disturbing details about Rigden’s manipulative behavior and the extent of his criminal actions.

Rigden, aged 64 and residing at Hemsworth Cottages in Huggate near Driffield, had established a significant level of trust with the victim’s family. This trust was exploited by Rigden, who not only engaged in grooming the young girl but also gained access to her and her family’s private life. The court heard that Rigden’s relationship with the family began while he was working approximately 70 miles away from his home, which did not raise suspicion at the time.

The prosecution, led by Nicola Quinney, detailed how the abuse started when the young girl was found asleep on the front seat of Rigden’s van. It was during this incident that Rigden began to sexually assault her, an act that was later confirmed through police investigation. When authorities examined Rigden’s phone, they discovered a series of indecent images, including one depicting Rigden engaging in serious sexual assault against the young girl. The police also found photographs that included an innocent picture of a child’s groin area, which Rigden had cropped to focus on that region, as well as two images of an unidentified child's bottom.

During the trial, the court heard that Rigden’s abuse extended beyond the initial incident. The young girl was subjected to inappropriate touching while she was in a vulnerable state, with Rigden touching her leg near her nappy, an act she described as “the nappy line.” She was too frightened to resist or alert anyone at the time. The abuse was characterized by the court as part of a highly sophisticated grooming process, with Rigden carefully building trust within the family to facilitate his criminal activities.

Judge Simon Jack, presiding over the case, emphasized the severity of Rigden’s actions and his dangerousness. He pointed out that Rigden’s grooming was part of a calculated process targeting a vulnerable family, often involving a parent who needed support or was otherwise isolated. The judge stated, “You had gained a very high level of trust that I’m quite satisfied was part of a highly sophisticated process of grooming. I have been dealing with paedophiles for many years; most paedophiles groom children, individual children, and that enables them to commit offences against them. But the more sophisticated paedophiles go a stage further; they pick on a family which is vulnerable, very often a lone parent or a parent who for some reason needs support. It was that, that enabled you to make yourself invaluable to her [the mother], gaining her trust and gaining access to her children.”

Rigden was convicted after a retrial of six charges, including sexual assault of a child under 13, sexual activity with a child, making indecent photographs of a child, and three counts of creating indecent images. The initial jury was unable to reach verdicts on all charges, necessitating a second trial. The judge described one of the photographs Rigden took as “one of the most serious of its kind,” underscoring the gravity of his offenses. He concluded that Rigden posed a significant risk of causing serious physical harm to others in the future.

As part of his sentence, Rigden was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, and he was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a lifelong restraining order. The court’s decision reflects the serious concern over his potential to reoffend and the need to protect the public from further harm.