Swindon child rapist jailed for 22 years

A man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for serious sexual assaults in Swindon.

Timothy Darch, who raped and indecently assaulted teenaged boys in the 1990s, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court today - 28 March.
Darch, 62, of Southrop Road Kingsway, Quedgeley, had been found guilty following a trial in February.
He was sentenced for four counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16, and four counts of rape on a boy under the age of 16.
The offences took place between 1996 and 1997 on three teenagers aged 14 or 15 years.
In a statement read to the court, one of his victims said: "I was a child when I met Tim, so manipulating me and sexualising and abusing me was easy for him.  The damage he has done to me has affected my whole life.   He played various mind games and was very good at manipulating me and others to get whatever he wanted.
"I came forward as I was worried he was subjecting others to abuse like he did me.  I wish I had the strength to come forward sooner, but this has taken so much strength from me to get this far.
"I am aware that no amount of justice will ever give me back what I have lost, I am however hoping that I can get some sort of closure from all of this."
Another said: "Tim brought me into a world which wasn’t real. Where work and responsibility didn’t matter, and having fun did. To cope with the education he gave me, I was an alcohol and drug abuser by the time I was sixteen. It made living with my reality, and the memories of what Tim did to me, easier.
"I can’t move on from the feelings of shame and blaming myself. I look back at the things I did as a child, and I apportion blame on myself for not behaving as I would now.
"I have started to release the shame I have for being abused by Tim, but I can’t simply let it go. It moved and changed into shame for not speaking sooner. I now have blame for everyone that Tim did this to after me."
Det Con Ross Duff from Swindon CID said: "Darch met the young men through Swindon organisations such as support charities for young gay men. Darch put himself in a position of trust and exploited and took advantage of those vulnerable children.
"I would like to thank his victims for their incredible bravery throughout this process, by giving their evidence to police and throughout the trial.
“I hope that this sentence reassures our community that we take these allegations very seriously, and that this behaviour will not be tolerated. We will relentlessly pursue offenders to secure justice for their victims and want to reassure anyone who reports incidents of serious sexual assault and rape to us that they will be believed”.
Anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault should report it by calling 101 or visiting www.wiltshire.police.uk. They should always dial 999 if a crime is in progress.