MEN JAILED FOR RAPE OF GIRLS IN WOODS AND HOUSE 30 YEARS AGO
A teenager who assaulted a young girl in the woods was sentenced today for his crimes.Steven Booker was only 15 years old when he committed the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Rhyl during the summer of 1990.
The serious offence only came to light many years later when the victim, now an adult, reported the incident.
Today, Steven Booker, aged 46 and residing on Rhydwen Drive in Rhyl, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison at Mold Crown Court for the rape.
His co-defendant, Nicholas Roberts, also aged 46 and living on Cheltenham Avenue, was sentenced to six months imprisonment for the indecent assault of the same girl.
The identity of the victim is protected by lifelong anonymity.
During sentencing, His Honour Judge David Hale addressed the defendants, stating: “I’m going to sentence you for something that you did many years ago, something you hoped would never ever see the light of day, and certainly something you hoped you would never see as a conviction.” He further noted: "You must have remembered it.
You must have been ashamed for what you did to that girl then, when she was 13 and a half.
"You, Mr Booker, would have been 15 and a quarter.
You, Mr Roberts, 15 and a half, playing in the woods on a summer's day." The judge emphasized that Booker deliberately engaged in a sexual act with the girl, describing it as taking advantage of her.
An aggravating factor was the comment Roberts allegedly made, “Wanna go, Nick?” which was possibly said during the offence.
Booker was sentenced to two years and six months for the rape, with an additional two six-month concurrent sentences for two indecent assaults.
Roberts was found not guilty of raping the girl but was present during the events, which included a separate incident about a year later where he raped another girl in a Rhyl house.
The judge described Roberts’ actions as deliberate.
One victim reported lasting effects on her trust and ability to form intimate relationships, while another expressed distress and difficulty feeling safe in Rhyl.
Defense lawyers argued that Booker's actions stemmed from a singular incident of sexual experimentation, with one lawyer describing his client’s offences as limited in scope.
For Roberts, the defense highlighted his learning difficulties and his mother’s severe arthritis, which requires him to drive.
In total, Booker received a sentence of two and a half years for the woods incident, along with two six-month terms for indecent assaults, all to run concurrently.
Roberts was sentenced to two and a half years for the house rape, plus six months each for indecent and sexual assault of a minor, totalling three and a half years.
He also received a six-month sentence for inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, with all sentences set to run concurrently.
Both men were ordered to stay away from their victims permanently through lifelong restraining orders.
