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A convicted paedophile has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars for “serious sexual offending” against two young girls.
Convicted of two counts of rape and 11 counts of indecent assault against two young girls, Jason Mark Le Chevere (43) today returned to the Royal Court to be sentenced for his offences.
Le Chevere, who still denies responsibility for the abuse which the Court heard has “destroyed” one of his victim’s “ability to ever have a proper relationship with a man” or to have children, was found guilty after a jury trial late last year.
Summarising the case, Crown Advocate Simon Thomas - appearing for the prosecution – told the Court about the impact the abuse has had on both girls.
Video: Jason Mark Le Chevere leaving the Court today, having learned of his sentence.
He told the Court that the older of the two victims feels bereft of her innocence as a result of Le Chevere’s abuse.
“As far as she is concerned, he has taken away her childhood. Sadly, she fears that this has destroyed her ability to ever have a proper relationship with a man and that this will mean she cannot have children,” the Crown Advocate said.
“The experience has coloured her view of men in general and she feels nervous even speaking to them.”
In the younger girl’s victim impact statement, she says that Le Chevere “tried to break her” and that “she will never forget what happened to her”.
Pictured: The Court heard that the convicted paedophile "continues to deny his offending".
The Crown Advocate also told the Court that a background report on Le Chevere compiled by the Probation Service found that he “continues to deny his offending” and that he “does not show any remorse” for his actions.
Advising the Court on sentencing, Crown Advocate Thomas moved for a “substantial” prison sentence of 16 years to reflect the “serious sexual offending” for which the 43-year-old had been convicted.
The Crown Advocate also made an application for a restraining order to prevent Le Chevere having any contact with girls under the age of 16.
In response, Le Chevere’s lawyer, Advocate Ian Jones, admitted that his client had “little by way of mitigation” given that he still doesn’t take responsibility for the crimes. However, he took issue with a few of the arguments made by the Crown Advocate, claiming that the prosecution’s “conclusions are overall too high or excessive."
Pictured: The 43-year-old was jailed for his "serious sexual offending" against two young girls.
Sitting as the ‘Superior Number’ – a panel which only assemble to hear the most serious of cases – Jurats Crill, Ramsden, Dulake, Averty and Fisher retired to make their decision on sentencing.
Handing down the Jurats' sentence, Royal Court Commissioner Sir John Saunders said: "[Having] read and considered statements from both [victims]... it is clear from the contents of both statements that they have both suffered greatly as a result of these offences."
The Commissioner added: "These two... have been severely damaged by the abuse that they have suffered at the hands of [Le Chevere]... and that will almost certainly affect them to some degree for the rest of their lives."
"There can be no doubt that these are very serious offences and it is accepted that a long sentence of imprisonment will have to be imposed to properly reflect their gravity and impact," the Commissioner added, before informing Le Chevere that he is to be jailed for 15 years.
Le Chevere crossed his arms and shook his head as he learned of his sentence.
The Court also decided that, as he "poses a threat of serious sexual harm to public", Le Chevere will stay on the Sex Offenders' register for a minimum of 15 years and imposed a restraining order for the same length of time to restrict Le Chevere's contact with girls under the age of 16.
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