Rapist is jailed - 30 years after attacks on girl

Richard Guy Wells was found guilty of three counts of rape and six counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16.

The abuse started when the child was about six years old and continued until her mid-teens.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, the 66-year-old was sentenced by Judge Paul Farrer who also condemned his actions.

Wells, of Southam, was arrested after his victim, who is now in her 30s, reported the attacks following two years of counselling which gave her the courage to come forward to the police.

Speaking from his experience in dealing with historic reports of sexual abuse, PSI Peter Herring of Warwickshire Police said: “The biggest barrier to reporting a sexual assault tends to be a combination of shame because people often blame themselves. When it starts with a child for example, and they don’t know what is happening is wrong, they agree to it and don’t put up any resistance.

“It is only when they get older they realise something is wrong and they blame themselves.

“Threats may also be made to them by the perpetrator at the time.

“This is a heartbreaking situation for anyone to be in and we would like to 
reassure anyone that wants to speak to us about a sexual assault, that the decision on whether to go ahead with a prosecution is entirely with you.

“We are here to give the advice you need in order to make your mind up - we never pressurise anyone.

“Often something in the person’s life changes and this makes them report an historic sexual assault.

“They may have a child themselves that has contact with the same individual and they want to protect the child or have a fear of it 
happening to someone else.”