MAN JAILED FOR 1997 SEXUAL ASSAULT ON 13-YEAR-OLD NEAR BLACKWOOD
A man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl as she walked home in her school uniform nearly 30 years ago has been jailed following a DNA evidence "breakthrough." Richard Downey, now 55, attacked the teenager on 23 September 1997 on a footpath near Wyllie in Caerphilly county.Newport Crown Court heard how the girl had left a library with two friends but split off to take a shortcut home when Downey approached her, armed with a screwdriver, pulled her to the ground, and sexually touched her.
Sentencing him to eight years in prison, Judge Daniel Williams commented: "You must have been lying in wait to find your victim...
who you intended to terrorise." Downey was found guilty at a trial in December of two counts of indecent assault and one of committing an act of indecency with a child.
Jurors heard the victim initially thought there was a jogger behind her.
Downey, who had pulled his T-shirt over his head to conceal his identity, pushed her to the ground, sexually touched her, incited her to touch his genitals, and then masturbated on her.
When she tried to escape, he restrained her again by covering her mouth but fled when a car sounded.
The attack was reported, but no DNA match was found initially.
A DNA sample taken from Downey on 25 February 2022 connected him to the crime, leading to his arrest and conviction.
In court, the victim described the lasting impact: "While the attack lasted only a few minutes, the impact it has had on me has lasted a lifetime." She recalled her shock, fear, and inability to walk alone afterward.
She said her innocence was taken that day and that "Nothing was the same after that." The defender stated Downey had since lived a responsible life, working hard, but his actions had now brought everything to an end.
The judge sentenced Downey to eight years with an extended license period of two years, and he will serve two-thirds of his sentence before parole eligibility.
He will also be subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and restraining order.
Catherine Miles of the CPS stated: "DNA evidence was able to prove he was the culprit, and we hope this brings some comfort to the victim."
