A paedophile who raped a girl under the age of 13 and caused lasting trauma has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Anthony Churton, 35, from Leigh, was found guilty of two counts of raping a child under 13 at Bolton Crown Court.
The victim has been left mentally shattered by the assault. Since the attack, she has exhibited distressing behaviours such as pulling her hair out and banging her head against walls. She has also expressed suicidal thoughts and told her family she “doesn’t want to be here anymore.”
According to the girl’s family, “She has started banging her head against the wall and pulling her hair out because of what he has done to her. 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 young victim has been referred for urgent mental health counselling. Her family described themselves as “utterly devastated” and reported that she has not slept properly for months. Three weeks after the assault, the girl asked how someone could commit suicide after seeing it on television.
Judge Graeme Smith condemned the offender’s actions as “both tragic and severe.” He noted, “She has self-harmed, she has been for mental health counselling and has mentioned suicide.” The judge rejected Churton’s defence that drugs and alcohol influenced his behaviour, stating, “Taking alcohol and drugs is not an excuse for such outrageous conduct.”
Churton pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Additionally, he was issued a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order to protect the victim and the public from further harm.
Originally published by UKNIP.
