PATRICK MUGFORD FROM ILLOGAN SENTENCED AFTER HORRIFIC RAPE IN CANTERBURY

In May 2022, a deeply disturbing case unfolded involving Patrick Mugford, a man with a troubling criminal history, who was convicted of raping a young girl in Canterbury. The victim, a teenage girl, was sleeping peacefully near her newborn baby when Mugford, then 68 years old and residing in Cornwall, entered her home and committed the heinous assault. The young girl immediately reported the incident to her mother the following morning, but her claims were dismissed and not believed at the time, forcing her to carry the emotional burden alone for two decades.

It was only in 2019, after reading a court report detailing Mugford’s previous convictions, that she decided to contact the police and report the assault. The victim recounted to officers how she was asleep when an intruder entered her bedroom, climbed into her bed, and made a disturbing remark, saying, “Come on, you know you want it.” She was able to identify Mugford as her attacker because of his distinctive skin, which was described as “scratchy and scaly.”

Prosecutor Allister Walker outlined the details of the attack to the jury, emphasizing the trauma inflicted upon the young girl. The court heard that Mugford’s victim was so profoundly affected by the assault that she turned to alcohol, drinking three liters of cider daily in an attempt to “black everything out.” Her suffering was compounded by the fact that her mother initially did not believe her, leaving her to endure her pain in silence.

During the court proceedings, Mugford sat in the dock, visibly distressed, and was heard complaining to security staff, “I’m going to die...” as the details of his late-night attack were presented. The court was also informed that Mugford had a prior conviction from 2012 for raping two children, which added weight to the severity of his crimes.

In her Victim Impact Statement, read aloud in court, the young woman described her struggles, including a period of homelessness and a suicide attempt that left her in a coma. Despite her traumatic past, she expressed her determination not to let the attack define her future and to move forward with her life.

Following a thorough trial, Mugford was convicted of rape and indecent assault and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The judge’s decision reflected the gravity of his crimes and the lasting impact on the victim’s life. Mugford’s criminal record also includes a five-year sentence handed down in July 2012 for abusing two teenage girls, for which he was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Today, Mugford remains a convicted sex offender, with his latest conviction serving as a stark reminder of the importance of justice for victims of sexual violence and the ongoing need for vigilance in protecting vulnerable individuals in communities like Illogan and Canterbury.