Man, 46, jailed for 27 months for raping girl when he was child more than three decades ago

Daryll Pitcher, now 46, raped a girl under the age of 16 on more than one occasion between June 1990 and March 1992 - meaning he would have been aged around 13 to 15 at the time. Pitcher denied the offences but was convicted of two counts of rape following a trial at Isle of Wight Crown Court.

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Pitcher, of Norman Way in Wootton, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and handed an indefinite restraining order. He was also ordered to sign on to the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

DC Anthony Daniels said: ‘The victim in this case, now a grown woman, has lived with the memory of this awful abuse for decades. Her courage in speaking out after such a long period of suffering is commendable.

‘We take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously, and want victims to be confident in the knowledge that they will be heard and listened to, and their reports will be believed.’

A police statement said: ‘We know that not everyone who has been affected by sexual abuse has the confidence to report to police. There are support services out there that can offer help to you, completely independent of the police, should you need support.’

The Hampton Trust Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) service provides specialist support to victims and survivors, irrespective of whether they have reported to the police, and is free to all Island residents.

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