A PAEDOPHILE who sexually abused a girl for several years from the age of four has been jailed.

Richard Lewis, 50, previously of Haverfordwest, was found guilty earlier this week of sexually abusing a child between 2004 and 2009.

Lewis had been charged with six counts of assaulting a child by penetration – all when the girl was aged between four and eight years old, as well as attempted sexual assault of the same child when she was aged between eight and 12 years old.

He denied all charges, but after just over two hours of deliberations, the jury returned to find Lewis guilty on five of the sexual assault charges. He was found not guilty of the remaining offences.

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In a statement read out by prosecutor Craig Jones, the victim said: “I feel haunted by what [Lewis] had done.

“There is nothing which can undo this.

“The impact was permanent and something I am going to have to live with forever.”

At trial, the jury had been told that Lewis, now of Priory Street in Carmarthen, sexually assaulted the victim in a field, around the back of a garage complex, and in his vehicle.

Mr Jones told the court that the impact of the abuse had affected the victim in a number of ways, including that she was unable to face getting in to the driver’s side of a car.

“She’s a young woman whose entire life has been pervaded,” said Judge Paul Thomas KC.

“It permeates every aspect of her life.”

During the trial, the jury heard that Lewis groomed his victim by buying her “treats” including sweets, ice lollies and ice creams.

When the victim was in her teens – after having sex education in school – she told her parents what had happened, but “was adamant she didn’t want to report it” at the time.

Lewis was arrested and interviewed on March 6, 2022, and was interviewed again on August 26, 2022.

Ieuan Rees, in mitigation, said that prior to these offences coming to light, Lewis “was a respectable member of the community”.

Mr Rees said the defendant was of previous good character, with one unrelated previous offence, and there had been no reported reoffending since this abuse ended.

“He has two children of his own, aged seven and four,” he said.

“He’s been a caring father to them.”

Addressing Lewis, Judge Thomas said: “When [the victim] was as young as four years old, you started to systematically sexually abuse her.

“You carefully planned your abuse, getting her isolated and defenceless.”

He sentenced Lewis to 14 years in prison, with an additional one year extended licence period. Lewis must register as a sex offender for life, and the victim was granted a 15-year restraining order against him.