The victim was comforted by the fact that, from now, ‘no one will suffer at the hands of this sexual predator’
A perverted “sexual predator” has been jailed for 25 years after he left a vulnerable young girl suffering a “traumatic” ordeal that had a “profound” impact on her, including flashbacks. Richard Oaten had already served a nine-year prison sentence for separate sexual offences against another child but he has now been jailed again after other offences came to light, Hull Crown Court heard.
Oaten, 53, of Hessle, denied a series of offences, including rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration, but he was convicted by a jury after a trial. Charlotte Baines, prosecuting, said that the girl was vulnerable and there was grooming behaviour by Oaten.
He told her that they could run away to Gretna Green one day and he took indecent pictures of her. “There was deliberate isolation of her,” said Miss Baines.
“There were steps taken to prevent her reporting the incidents or seeking assistance.” The girl said in a statement that she had suffered a “traumatic” ordeal and this had “shaped every aspect” of her life. The abuse had a “profound” effect upon her mental health and she suffered “intrusive thoughts” and flashbacks. “This trauma has affected my life in ways that I could never have anticipated,” she said. She was comforted by the fact that, from now, “no one will suffer at the hands of this sexual predator”.
The jury had been told that Oaten was jailed for nine years in July 2016 after admitting separate matters of nine sexual offences involving another child. The later allegations surfaced after Oaten was released from prison in 2020.
The girl was asked by the defence during cross-examination of her evidence whether she had “just made up” her claims. She replied: “Absolutely not.” She admitted that she had not told anybody at the time.
“I told nobody,” she said. “At the time, I thought that if I told anybody what was happening, nobody would believe me because I am just a little girl.”
The girl was asked: “You weren’t abused, were you?” She replied: “Yes, I was. I was abused as a child by him.” She went to the police in 2020. The girl was asked: “Nothing sexual ever happened between you and him, did it?” The girl replied: “Yes, it did.”
Oaten told the court during his defence evidence that he was released from prison on October 20, 2020 and he went to a hostel in Rotherham, where he contracted Covid and was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary for a month before moving to Castle Hill Hospital for five months. He then went to his Hessle home.
He was arrested on August 20, 2021 and he denied the allegations involving the girl. Oaten was on bail during the trial but he was remanded in custody on July 31 after being convicted by the jury.
Dale Brook, mitigating at a sentencing hearing, said that they were serious offences. “I accept that there is no alternative to a very lengthy custodial sentence,” said Mr Brook. “She was vulnerable because she was a child.
“The defendant suffers from significant general health problems. He has substantial mobility problems. He was very seriously ill during Covid and was hospitalised for a very considerable period of time.
“That has had a significant impact on him. He struggles to walk long distances. He gets out of breath easily. He finds using the stairs in prison, and being able to get his food and things like that, very difficult.
“The considerable custodial sentence that he is about to receive will be a hard time. It will be considerably harder for him than a younger, fitter man.”
Judge Tahir Khan KC told Oaten: “It’s clear that the abuse had an enormous negative impact on her life. She was particularly vulnerable.”
Oaten was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he will have to register as a sex offender for life.
Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Katharine Paddock of Humberside Police, who led the investigation, said: “Oaten is a perverted man who took advantage of an innocent girls trust in him and subjected her to years of abhorrent abuse, all for his own sexual gratification. No amount of prison time will take away the trauma Oaten has inflicted, but I hope this sentence offers some reassurance that he is facing the consequences of his actions and will be behind bars for a very long time.
“I would like to praise the victim for coming forward and for the bravery and courage they have shown throughout this investigation. We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will continue to do everything possible to ensure offenders are brought before the courts and seek justice for those who have suffered at the hands of such incomprehensible crimes.
“It is never the victim’s fault, and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual offences to report it to us. When you are ready, we will listen to you, we will believe you, and we will support you.”