A 41-year-old man who raped a five-year-old
girl in Croydon, UK has been jailed for 13 years.
Jerry Ablorh of
Bensham Grove, Thornton Heath, was sentenced on Friday, April 28, at Croydon
Crown Court having previously been found guilty of rape and two counts of
sexual assault by penetration.
He attacked the
girl at his former home in Collyer Avenue, Croydon between January and December
2014.
The court heard
that Ablorh had befriended the victim and her mother and worked hard to build
up their trust. He looked after the victim to help out her mother and took her
to the park, sending photos to reassure her mum everything was okay. He got the
victim to refer to him as 'Uncle John' and also gave her mum a false name of
'Eugene'.
Ablorh took the
victim to his home - an outhouse he was renting in a garden in Collyer Avenue,
Croydon - where he raped her. He said her mother would die if she told anyone.
Two years passed
and Ablorh drifted out of the family's life before the victim managed to tell
her mum what had happened. The matter was reported to police in October 2016
and the victim interviewed by trained officers. She sobbed throughout as she
relived her ordeal, and she told them about being raped as well as further
offences of sexual assault.
Ablorh went to
ground; police believe he knew officers were looking for him. The manhunt team
from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command joined the hunt
for him but to no avail. Arrest enquiries attempted at various addresses with
the help of the Territorial Support Group also proved fruitless.
Ablorh was
eventually seen on New Year's Eve outside a church in Croydon and police were
called.
In interview he
denied any wrong-doing but was charged with two counts of rape and three counts
of sexual assault by penetration. He stood trial with the victim, now eight,
having to give evidence via live video link. The jury found Ablorh guilty of
three offences and acquitted him of two.
Investigating Officer
PC Laura Davis, from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command,
said:
"Ablorh's crimes were despicable. He
singled out the victim before launching his attack. It was clearly the most
horrible and terrifying experience for her, a girl of just five years old.
"There is every chance Ablorh has
abused more children who have yet to come forward. We would appeal for anyone
with information to contact us in confidence."
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