FORMER PCSO JAILED FOR RAPE OF YOUNG GIRLS
2016.A man who previously served as a police community support officer (PCSO) has received a 24-year prison sentence after being convicted of raping two young girls aged between three and five.
Peter Bunyan, aged 43 and from Penzance, was found guilty on three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a trial held at Truro Crown Court.
The crimes occurred between 2005 and 2009 while Bunyan was employed as a PCSO.
During sentencing, Judge Simon Carr remarked that Bunyan's actions had caused significant harm, emphasizing the breach of trust involved.
The court was told that one of the victims was motivated to come forward after witnessing a male PCSO visit her school in 2015.
Both girls had struggled immensely to process what had happened to them, the court heard.
Bunyan was sentenced to 24 years for the three rape counts of a child under 13, with an additional seven years to be served concurrently for sexual assault.
He was acquitted of one rape charge.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police stated that the public rightly expects police officers to uphold high standards of conduct, emphasizing that officers are there to serve and protect.
Bunyan had previously been convicted in 2013 at Taunton Crown Court of eight counts of misconduct in public office and sentenced to seven years, a sentence later reduced on appeal.
He is believed to have served as a PCSO from 2007 until his suspension in 2011, followed by his dismissal in March 2013.
