Cambridgeshire man who raped and sexually assaulted schoolgirl over five years is jailed
A man who raped and sexually assaulted a schoolgirl over a period of five years has been jailed for a total of 14 years.
Elton Townend-Jones, 51, began the sexual abuse in Cambridge in 2015 and it continued until 2020, when the offences came to light after a relative of the girl saw something suspicious and alerted police.
Townend-Jones, of Church Road, Walpole St Peter, Wisbech, was arrested in June 2020 but denied the offences during a police interview. He claimed he did not know why the girl would accuse him of rape or sexual assault.
He answered ‘no comment’ to all questions in his second interview.
He stood trial at Cambridge Crown Court in February and jurors found him guilty of 11 counts:
- Three counts of rape;
- Two counts of assaulting a child under the age of 13 on at least 10 occasions;
- One count of assaulting a child under the age of 13 on at least five occasions;
- One count of assault by penetration on at least five occasions;
- Three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 on at least five occasions; and
- One count of sexual activity with a child on at least five occasions.
Townend-Jones must serve two-thirds of his 14-year jail sentence before being considered for release. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to monitor any future offending and a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim, both indefinitely.
Det Con Susan Brown, who investigated, said: “Townend-Jones’ horrific sexual abuse of his victim went undetected for years and I am pleased he has finally been brought to justice.
“Regardless of when it happened, we will always take reports of sexual offences, including child sex abuse, incredibly seriously.
“Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we have specially trained officers who are there to support victims and bring offenders to justice.
“The defendant’s abuse has had a huge impact on his victim and I hope she can now find some closure from this traumatic period of her life.”
Cambridgeshire police have a webpage dedicated to child abuse.
Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah’s Law.
Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child can make an inquiry. This can include parents, carers, guardians, extended family, friends and neighbours.
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