Paedophile Jailed for Raping Under-13 Girl and Destroying Her Childhood
A paedophile who raped a pre-teen girl and left her traumatised has been slammed with a nine-year jail sentence. Anthony Churton, 35, from Leigh, was found guilty of two counts of raping a child under 13.
Victim Left Devastated and Suicidal
The chilling case, heard at Bolton Crown Court, revealed how the young victim has been left mentally shattered. Since the horrific assault, she has been pulling her hair out and banging her head against walls in distress. She even told her family she “doesn’t want to be here anymore” and has expressed suicidal thoughts.
“She has started banging her head against the wall and pulling her hair out because of what he has done to her,” said the girl’s family. “She refuses to leave the house. She won’t even go to the toilet on her own. She has been robbed of her childhood.”
The girl, under 13, has been referred for urgent mental health counselling. Her family is “utterly devastated” and say she hasn’t slept properly for months. Three weeks after the assault, she asked how someone could commit suicide after seeing it on TV.
Judge Condemns ‘Outrageous Conduct’
Judge Graeme Smith described the trauma as “both tragic and severe.” He added, “She has self-harmed, she has been for mental health counselling and has mentioned suicide.” He slammed Churton’s defence that drugs and alcohol influenced his actions, saying: “Taking alcohol and drugs is not an excuse for such outrageous conduct.”
Offender Sentenced and Restricted
Churton pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years behind bars. He was also handed a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order to protect the victim and the public from future harm.
