Jail for man who sexually abused young girl
A MAN jailed for sexually abusing a young girl over a six-year period told a court he was “sickened” by his own actions.
In the middle of proceedings at Cambridge Crown Court, David Meldrum asked his defence barrister to tell judge Jonathan Haworth how sorry he was for the repeated indecent assaults of the girl during the 1980s.
The 68-year-old, of Vicarage Close, Waterbeach, started the abuse when the girl was about 10 or 11 years old.
In later years, he would expose himself to the girl and ask her to touch his genitals.
The girl said she complied with his requests because she “did not realise it was wrong”, prosecutor Sara Walker told the court.
Judge Jonathan Haworth jailed Meldrum for a total of three years after the defendant pleaded guilty to gross indecency with a girl under the age of 14 and two counts of indecent assault against a child.
He also pleaded guilty to another indecent assault on another young girl but was said to have “exercised restraint” in later years despite coming into contact with children.
Most Read
- 1 EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt ‘to work at restaurant in Cambridgeshire’
- 2 Inferno BBQ to be occupied by sister company Forbidden Burger Co
- 3 Mike Rouse, councillor, former mayor and historian, dies aged 82
- 4 Mike Rouse: A lifetime's passion for books and literature
- 5 Table made from 5,000-year-old oak tree to be unveiled at Ely Cathedral in honour of The Queen
- 6 'A little talent very thinly spread' Mike Rouse, in his own words
- 7 Cambridge: Police officer had surgery after sex offender drove car at them
- 8 Middlesbrough couple found in Cambs with drugs worth around £37,000
- 9 Superintendent dons rainbow helmet against hate crime on #IDAHOBIT
- 10 Can you answer these 10 GCSE questions designed for 16-year-olds?
“This was a horrendous period of abuse,” Judge Haworth said.
“The impact upon her is difficult fully to know.
“It has taken many years for her to speak out. Clearly, it must have had a significant impact on her.”
He added that the crimes were aggravated because of the “sheer length of time over which the offences were committed”.
Mitigating, Georgina Gibbs said: “He has expressed utter disgust, shame and remorse for doing what he did.”
In interview, Meldrum told police he “wasn’t attracted by children” and did not know why he committed the offences.
Miss Gibbs said Meldrum’s sorrow was “reflective of someone who has come to reflect on his course of conduct”.
She said he would be willing to embark on a sexual offenders’ rehabilitation programme while in prison.
