Kevin Dunford
A man who sexually assaulted five children has been jailed for a total of 20 years.
Kevin Dunford, 44 and of Blandford Forum, pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of sexual assault on five children, including 14 counts of indecent assault, three counts of indecency with a child, two counts of attempted rape and two counts of rape.
He was found guilty of 20 of these counts at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 4 March following a trial. Dunford was found not guilty of one count of indecent assault. He was sentenced at the same court on 7 March.
Dunford was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The offences occurred between 1985 and 1997. He was first arrested in August 2014.
The court heard that Dunford began his offending aged 14 and continued this into his 20s. He sexually assaulted his victims when he was alone with each of them. His victims, who are now adults, were aged 13 and under at the time of the offences.
Detective Constable Ade Stocker, of Dorset Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Firstly, I would like to praise the victims for their bravery in coming forward and reporting these crimes. They showed strength and courage in speaking up and in the subsequent court case.
“Dunford abused these victims for his own gratification over a sustained period of time. His actions were sickening and the sentence handed down by the courts shows that the criminal justice system will actively and robustly deal with offenders of child abuse.
“If you have suffered from sexual abuse I hope this case will give you the courage to come forward and report it to the police. We will thoroughly investigate such offences, we will safeguard victims and we will bring offenders to justice.”
Those abusing children are urged to seek professional help from either their GP or another professional organisation such as Stop it Now! of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.
For more information:
Local Authority Children’s Social Care:
Bournemouth: 01202 456900
Poole: 01202 735046
Dorset: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/393713
For more information visit:
Barnardos http://www.barnardos.org.uk
NSPCC 0808 800 5000
help@nspcc.org.uk
www.nspcc.org.uk/childsexualexploitation
National Helpline for male victims of CSE 07808 863 662
UK safer internet centre website. www.saferinternet.org.uk
Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre. www.ceop.police.uk
CEOP resources suitable for parents and children of different ages. www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.stopitnow.org.uk
www.internetmatters.org
