"Predator" who sexually assaulted young girl jailed for 11 years

Tuesday 10 October 2017

A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a series of indecent assaults on a young girl, which took place over the course of four years.

Paul Trevor Moore was found guilty on four counts of indecent assault, and six of procuring an act of gross indecency, by a majority of jurors following a Royal Court trial in August.

Crown Advocate Richard Pedley, prosecuting, said that the assaults had progressed in seriousness over time. He described the earlier offences as part of a "grooming process that led to the most serious offence." He added that Moore had taken advantage of the child's vulnerability, which had led to her loss of innocence.

He also quoted a letter from the victim's mother, who said that the little girl did not understand what she had been asked to do and their world had been shattered. The Crown Advocate then moved for a 13-year prison sentence, with a period of 10 years on the Sex Offenders' Register and a 15-year restraining order.

Pictured: Moore was found guilty of the sexual abuse following a Royal Court trial in August.

Defence Advocate Sarah Dale only addressed the Court in a "brief submission", after stating that Moore maintained his innocence and that all allegations were rejected. She added: "Notwithstanding he is maintaining his innocence, he will accept the sentence he will receive today." She told the Court that Moore had considered appealing his conviction but had eventually decided not to.

She addressed suggestions that Moore hadn't been truthful when he talked about his memories of the events and reminded the Court that Moore had suffered from multiple sclerosis for 20 years, and that the condition had impaired his memory. She added that the condition affected his ambition to join the Navy, as well as his later employment. She urged the Court to consider the deterioration of the MS in the future, saying that no one knew how it would be in 10 or 20 years. Advocate Dale also handed out a series of reference letters of reference written by Moore's family and friends, which she said showed a different side of him and how he tried his utmost to help others.

Handing down the sentence, Royal Court Commissioner Sir Michael Birt, who sat with Jurats Rozanne Thomas, Pamela Pitman, Jill Clapham, Geoffrey Fisher and Suzanne Marett-Crosby, said that the assaults were a "gross breach of trust" given the young age of the victim. He added that the Court took cases involving a child being made to carry out sexual acts on an adult very seriously. He sentenced Moore to 11 years in prison, with 10 years on the Sex Offenders' Register and a 10-year restraining order.

Pictured: Moore was sentenced to an 11-year jail term, and will spend 10 years on the Sex Offenders' Register.

Following the sentencing, a spokesman for NSPCC Jersey said: “Moore has been exposed as a sexual predator, who preyed on a vulnerable girl for his own sexual gratification. Sexual abuse ruins childhoods and the impact can last a lifetime, but help for victims is available. Therapeutic services like NSPCC Jersey’s ‘Letting the Future In’ can help children who have been sexually abused move on in their lives.”