A PAEDOPHILE was accused of showing no remorse as he was jailed for sexually assaulting a girl who was aged just five or six at the time.
Gary Blount, 44, of Cwmfelin Boeth in Whitland, was on trial at Swansea Crown Court in August after denying two charges of sexual assault of a child between 2014 and October 2016.
Following a three-day trial, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts for each charge.
During the trial, the jury heard that the allegations emerged in July last year when the complainant reported them to a counsellor at school.
Prosecutor Ian Wright said the girl told her mother about the allegations later that day.
“She was crying but also apologising saying she should have told her earlier,” Mr Wright said.
She told her mum that she felt “uncomfortable” with the sexual touching, but that Blount had told her it was “normal”.
The complainant was interviewed by the police on July 8, 2022, and told officers Blount would touch her chest, thighs and genitals.
The following day, Blount attended Haverfordwest Police Station. There, he was arrested and charged.
The court heard that Blount had “highly relevant” previous convictions, having been convicted in 2018 after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and inciting her to engage in sexual activity.
These previous offences took place between September and October 2016.
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Ian Ibrahim, defending, said Blount had suffered a “complete fall from grace” as a result of his offending, and had lost “a home, a business and a family”.
He said that Blount had not re-offended since 2016.
“All I can ask is the court keeps it as short as possible in the circumstances,” he said.
Judge Geraint Walters said that Blount’s account “did somewhat change during the course of the evidence” that he gave.
“At that time in your life, at the very least, you were a sexual predator towards young girls,” he said.
“You have shown no remorse in relation to that offending which the jury found proved.
“It’s had a significant effect on [the complainant].”
He sentenced Blount to five years, running concurrently for each offence. Blount must register as a sex offender for life, and the complainant was granted an indefinite restraining order against him.
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