'Violent' Southsea child molester found guilty by jurors after inflicting pain and fear on helpless victims

Claire Roche, 36, of Elm Grove, Southsea, had denied historic offences of performing sexual acts on the children who were also ‘forced’ to carry out ‘disgusting’ sex acts on her after fearing violence.

The defendant even sought to disguise her abuse by making up a fantasy story where she claimed she ‘rubbed’ her genitals over clothing against theirs when she was a teenager to offer an explanation for the accusations.

But jurors at Portsmouth Crown Court saw through the lies and found the mum guilty of all five charges, including three of indecent assault of a child and two charges of indecency with a child.

Roche, who was granted bail to appear back at court for her sentence on March 21, remained motionless as the verdicts of guilt were returned. She embraced a man in the public gallery after leaving the dock before she left the courtroom a convicted child abuser.

Roche’s actions had left the now grown up complainants with painful scars before they finally felt strong enough to come forward and reveal to police the depravity they were subjected to.

Describing the incidents to police, the woman said if she ‘did not do what (Roche) wanted’ she would ‘violently beat’ her.

The victim said: ‘She would lie on top of me and perform sexual acts. It was uncomfortable and I remember feeling pain.’

The woman said how Roche would also ‘rub up’ against her and perform sex acts. ‘I thought it was normal,’ she said. ‘(I) did not know any different.’

She added: ‘It was disgusting and I remember crying. It was not very nice.’

Roche then forced the child into ‘unthinkable’ acts by telling her to return the favour: ‘Now you can do it to me.’

Recent Facebook messages between the victim and Roche revealed the predator’s guilt – despite her attempts to pretend she was referring to the made-up incidents.

In a message to her abuser, the woman revealed her struggles. she said: ‘My childhood was ripped away by your actions. I can’t help but think about what happened.’

In those messages Roche admitted she was ‘sorry and very confused’ and was ‘ashamed and disgusted’ with herself but attempted to explain it away during the trial by referring to a fantasy incident of ‘rubbing’ against each child when she was supposed to be a teenager.

But prosecutor Martyn Booth said it was a ‘story you came up with’ to justify her admissions in those chats.

The second victim revealed how Roche would undress herself in front of him before forcing the petrified boy me to perform [sex acts]. ‘It felt wrong. It was a scary experience,’ the now adult man said.

The man told the court he was made to brush his teeth after the abuse.

‘It stripped away any innocence I had and made me feel trapped,’ he said.

On one occasion after he had been ‘grabbed’ and forced to perform [a sex act], the complainant said Roche ‘punched him constantly in the back’ before she grabbed a knife as he hid.

The depths of her depravity were further revealed when she tried to entice the young boy into sex after ‘putting her hand down my trousers’.

But due to his age ‘nothing happened’ before she forced him to perform a sex act on her instead.

He described fearing violence and feeling ‘trapped’ and said the experiences were ‘horrible’.

The man admitted he ‘hates’ her for what happened.

Revealing her reasons for finally coming forward, the female complainant said: ‘I need to get this out.’

SEE ALSO: People sentenced for their crimes

Both victims have now exercised the ghosts of their past while Roche will find out her fate for the future next month after the sickening abuse.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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