2004: ELDERLY MAN JAILED FOR DECADES-OLD SEXUAL ABUSE OF GIRL
An elderly man who committed multiple rapes against a young girl over three decades ago in Stratford has received a six-year prison sentence.Raymond Clack, now 70 and residing in Sutherland, Brora, at Johnstone Place, denied all charges at Warwick Crown Court.
He faced six counts of rape and, earlier this month, was convicted by a jury of committing gross indecency with the girl, which he also denied.
The jury was unable to reach verdicts on the six rape accusations at that time.
However, during a subsequent trial, a different jury reached a unanimous verdict after just 90 minutes, convicting Clack of all six charges.
The judge, Richard Cole, ordered him to serve six years behind bars and to register as a sex offender for life.
Addressing Clack, the judge remarked that although it was challenging to sentence someone of his age, the long time elapsed since the offences occurred did not exempt him from accountability.
During the proceedings, prosecutor David Jones explained that in the early 1970s, Clack repeatedly assaulted the girl from when she was nine years old.
He was said to have taken her to his home when his wife was away and coerced her into lying on the floor, claiming he was demonstrating what happens when a lady wants a baby.
Clack then engaged in sexual activity with her, although she was unaware of what was happening.
He continued to abuse her in subsequent instances when he could find privacy and introduced her to oral sex when she was 12.
In late 1972, Clack moved to a new house in Stratford and, before moving in with his family, took the girl there under the pretense of asking her to help him transport items.
It was inside that house that the court heard he raped her on the first-floor landing.
The victim, now an adult, only disclosed the abuse last year after hearing about an allegation of misconduct through her job, which triggered memories of her past.
She experienced depression and sought counselling but faced delays through NHS services and was advised to seek private therapy, which would cost around £4,000.
She corresponded with Clack in May last year, offering him three options: to go to the police, to pursue a civil lawsuit, or to pay for her treatment.
Clack responded with a cheque, seemingly accepting the latter, but after confiding in her psychiatric nurse about concern for other children, she reported the matter to Scottish social services, who contacted the police.
During the trial, Clack denied ever engaging in sexual acts with the girl, claiming she fabricated the allegations.
When told that the events might not have occurred, she affirmed, “They did happen, or I would not be going through the hell I am going through now.”
