Man arrested for sexually abusing two children

A man has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for sexually abusing two young girls.

David Hedges, of Dilton Marsh, was found guilty of three counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 and four counts of indecent touching of the same girls, totalling 17 counts.

Hedges, 57, abused the girls for several years in the 1990s and 2000s.

He was sentenced to 28 years in prison plus a further year suspended at Salisbury Crown Court.

Hedges will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least two-thirds of his sentence, at which point his case will be re-evaluated.

In addition to his prison sentence, Hedges must register as a sex offender, is subject to the conditions of a restraining order preventing sexual violence, and the conditions of a temporary restraining order prohibiting him from having any future contact with children indefinitely.

Det Con Graham Mansell of Wiltshire Police said steps had been taken as early as 2005 to prevent “further abuse”, but investigations were reopened in 2017 “after victims bravely came forward and provided their evidence to detectives from the Child Abuse Investigation Team”.

“I welcome this verdict as it reflects the seriousness of these crimes and the impact they have had on the victims,” ​​he said.

“While prison sentences eventually end, longer-term protection is provided by orders that continue to prohibit future contact with children.”

Det Con Mansell added that the victims had found the “strength and courage” to give their statements, enabling an investigation to be carried out and the abuser to be prosecuted.

“I would like to thank the victims for their incredible courage in coming forward and describing what are undoubtedly the most harrowing and traumatic incidents from a time when they were both very young and vulnerable,” he said.

“Their ability to do so enabled a successful prosecution that resulted in today’s verdict.

“This would not have been possible without their resilience and perseverance. Without their evidence, it would have been impossible to prosecute the tormentor.”

Det Con Mansell also encouraged other victims to come forward.

“We will investigate the case, provide you with all available assistance and do everything in our power to bring such perpetrators to justice,” he said.

Anyone wishing to report sexual abuse can contact Wiltshire Police on 101 and seek advice and support from the Swindon and Wiltshire Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).