Walpole St Peter man David Graham jailed for more than 20 years for historic sex offences against a child

A man described as a “dangerous offender” who “robbed” his victim of her childhood has been jailed.

David Graham, 49, of Walpole St Peter, appeared at Lynn Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to multiple sexual offences against a child.

He had admitted raping an underage girl on no less than 75 occasions, a separate count of rape of an underage vulnerable child and three additional sexual offences, all against the same victim.

Graham was sentenced to a total of 21 years and will serve an additional eight years on licence.

The victim reported being sexually abused to police in September 2021 for a period of eight years regularly between the early to mid-2000s in the Lynn area.

He was arrested in November 2021 and subsequently charged with sexual offences against a child.

The judge found the offences to be a “clear campaign of rape” involving grooming, degradation, and humiliation of a vulnerable child.

He told the court that the victim had been robbed of her childhood and that Graham was a dangerous offender.

At court, her statement was read out by the prosecutor detailing the impact the sexual abuse had on all aspects of her life, relationships, friendships, mental health, and work life, culminating in attempts on her own life.

The statement, read on her behalf, said:“The impacts of sexual abuse have cost me profoundly in many ways, will continue to affect me on a daily basis and has without a doubt set me on a different path from the one I would have taken had I not been abused for many years.

“For so long I have wanted to say goodbye to this chapter in my life and even though a part of it will always be with me I refuse to let it limit the life I want to live anymore.”

The judge said her statement was “harrowing, moving and articulate”.

Det Con Loli Ward said: “We hope the sentence will help to provide some justice for the turmoil the victim has gone through during her life.

“We would like to thank her for her bravery in coming forward and reporting these historic sex offences, which have had a profound impact on her life in every way.

“We would also ask that anyone else who has been a victim of such offences seeks help, either through the police or from one of our support organisations, such as the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).”

To access help and support services for rape and sexual assault, click here.

To report a sexual offence, call 999 in an emergency – 101 is the non-emergency police number to report a crime.