CORNWALL PAEDOPHILE RING DISMANTLED AS MAN GETS 54 YEARS FOR CHILD ABUSE
A major paedophile ring in Cornwall, involving approximately 30 young girls, has been dismantled by police after the conviction of James Machin, 54, of Falmouth, at Truro Crown Court for multiple sexual offences.The investigation, which spanned three years, also resulted in the convictions of John Barrett, 49, a builder from Camborne, sentenced to 14 years in 2008, and John Wrey, 55, from Hayle, who received a sentence of five and a half years.
More recently, Alan Wills, 46, from Camborne, was convicted of crimes against children, although there was no direct link to the others, two victims having been abused by all four men.
The court revealed that Barrett introduced Machin to the victims in 2005; Barrett had already been grooming and abusing the girls before passing them on to others.
The abuse involved taking some victims, some as young as five, to an unused holiday cottage in Flushing managed by Machin, where they were repeatedly raped and assaulted.
The investigation's senior officer, Detective Inspector Simon Snell, described the abuse as 'really awful' and expressed that the victims are still under counseling, with some unlikely to ever fully recover.
He stated, 'We are talking about the rapes of very young children for a number of years,' and emphasized the trauma involved, saying, 'Some of them may get over it, but my personal view is that it is something they will never forget for the rest of their lives.' Officers worked with child welfare staff during interviews.
The mother of one victim expressed feelings of anger and guilt, noting her daughter, now living with friends, has begun to use drugs to cope with the trauma.
Det Snell remarked that, despite exhaustive investigations, there may be other victims, as the abuse encapsulated the most serious he has encountered during his 29 years of policing.
