CHILD SEX ABUSER LOCKED UP
A man convicted of sexually abusing a minor has been sentenced to prison for several years.Ian Frape, aged 59 and formerly residing in the Newquay region, assaulted a young girl in mid-Cornwall many years ago.
The allegations surfaced only recently when the woman, now an adult, mustered the courage to report the incident to law enforcement authorities.
Police from Devon and Cornwall apprehended Frape, charging him with eight counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, along with charges of indecent exposure and gross indecency involving a girl under 14.
Frape admitted to all the charges in April.
In a statement describing the impact of the abuse, the victim explained that the effects persisted beyond the act itself and had haunted her throughout her life.
She revealed experiencing panic attacks, flashbacks, and nightmarish memories of feeling trapped and unable to break free.
She also stated that the ordeal destroyed her life and led her to use drugs as a coping mechanism, as substances provided numbness and helped suppress her emotional pain.
The woman, who is now a mother, expressed that the trauma had caused her to undermine her relationships and opportunities due to deep-seated shame and guilt.
"This affected my childhood, my education and has changed the course of my life," she said.
"But now the shame belongs to the person who abused me, not to me." In mitigation for Frape, Jason Beal said that unlike many sexual abusers the court sees, Frape had accepted the sexual motivation of his actions and his life had broken down as a result of the abuse coming to light.
He said his guilty plea saved his victim from having to go through the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said the abuse at the hands of Frape, who has a previous conviction for indecent exposure, has been "truly devastating for her".
Judge Carr said: "It took her many decades to find the strength to go to the police and report the offences.
She will carry what you did to her to her grave." He sentenced Frape to a total of 13 years in prison plus one more year on extended licence and placed him on the sex offenders' register for life.
