A MAN who repeatedly raped an 11-year-old girl in Penhill after asking her if she wanted to see his dog has been jailed for 10 years.

Darren Harbour took the youngster to the room in the house where he had digs after showing her his boxer dog called Ben.

Harbour, 46, then had sex with the youngster on two more occasions in the following weeks, ordering her not to tell anyone what had happened

But 10 years later she plucked up the courage to report what happened in 2007 to the police.

And though he admitted what he had done and said he has now found God a judge said he was still 'minimising' what he did

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the youngster knew people in the area where he lived.

She said the first time something happened was when he took her to see his dog and once she was in his room he told her he liked her.

"She said she didn't like him in that way. He told her it would be OK as no one knew what they were doing," she said.

He had sex with her three times and also smoked drugs in front of her, Miss Hingston said.

When he was questioned he said he was using heroin and cannabis at the time and also drinking nine litres of cider a day, at the time.

He also told the police that she had come to his room and taken her trousers down and told them that he should have known better.

Harbour, now of Islay Crescent, Highworth, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape.

Rob Ross, defending, said that his client, a jobbing builder, had admitted what he had done when he was confronted by the police.

He said the high level of drink and drugs he was taking would act as a 'disinhibiter' and he was truly sorry for what he had done.

After the offending he said he moved away from Swindon for a while and was now in a new relationship and a born-again Christian.

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "She has made a statement recently setting out the affect your abuse had on her.

"That will firstly be long lasting, it may be permanent, so she will never fully recover form what you did. I am satisfied you caused her severe psychological harm.

"There is a line in her statement: 'I don't trust men I don't know. I wouldn't start a conversation with someone I don't know as who knows what they would do to me, they might rape me'.

"You are now 46. In the pre-sentence report you still tried to minimise what you did to her."

He jailed him for 10 years with a one-year extended licence. Because of the type of offences he will not be automatically released at the half way point of the sentence but instead will be considered for parole.

Harbour must register as a sex offender for life, abide by a sexual harm prevention order and is banned from working with children or vulnerable people.

Detective Constable Helen Bott said: "The victim in this case only felt strong enough to report the abuse she had suffered throughout her childhood in 2016.

"I commend her for the bravery she has shown in not only coming forward and contacting police. Without this we may not have reached this successful conviction.

"I am satisfied with the sentence handed out to Harbour – although nothing will erase the awful memories and the long lasting affects his abuse has no doubt had on his victim, I hope it gives her some form of closure and enables her to move on with her life knowing justice has been done.

"I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may have been a victim of sex abuse, regardless of how much time has passed, to report it to police.

"We will investigate, provide you with the full support you need, and do all that we can to bring to justice offenders like Harbour."

An NSPCC spokesperson for the South West said: “Harbour’s sickening offences robbed his defenceless victim of her childhood and it’s right that he’s now behind bars. 

“The impact of child abuse can last well into adulthood.  To speak out takes a huge amount of courage and it’s vital that victims are listened to, no matter how much time has passed.

“We would urge any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person to call our helpline for free, 24/7, on 0808 800 5000. Meanwhile, children can call Childline on 0800 1111.”

  • Victims of rape and sexual assault can call police on 101. They can also seek support and counselling from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) based at the New Swindon Sanctuary by calling the 24-hour helpline on 0808 168 0024.