Paedophile left victim as a ‘shell of a person’

A PAEDOPHILE gave drugs and alcohol to an underage teenage girl and had sexual intercourse with her on a number of occasions, a court heard.

It was only when the victim became an adult that she realised what her perpetrator had done was wrong.

Neil Rowlands, 37, of Rhymney, took advantage of the victim, who had a difficult upbringing and chaotic home life.

He first had sex with the victim in his car when she was under 16 years old and had been given alcohol by him.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, April 18 heard the victim had told the defendant her age before they had sex, to which he responded, “Oh well, you’re only as old as you look”, and told her she looked 17 years old.

The victim said she suffered badly with alcohol at the time of the abuse, in order to block out her home life.

He groomed the victim by telling her he would keep her safe and they could “run away together”.

The defendant also frequently provided her with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

The abuse was reported to the police in 2020 after the victim suffered mental health difficulties and was struggling to deal with the experiences she went through as a child.

Prosecutor Ffion Tomos said the defendant was arrested and initially denied the offences.

Rowlands, of Benjamin Court, later pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child and five counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He did so after the victim had been cross-examined prior to his scheduled trial.

The court heard he had 13 previous convictions, none of which related to sexual offences.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said: “Looking back, I can recognise how vulnerable I was and how [Rowlands] took advantage of my vulnerability .... I thought what we did was normal. I struggle to understand why it happened to me and struggled greatly with the abuse.

“I spent many years in therapy and have been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, an addiction to codeine, a history of self-harm and suicide attempts.

“I find day-to-day life difficult, I feel judged and paranoid in public.

“I have a low quality of life, I have never worked as I am unable to control my emotions, I feel like I am suffocating most days and have intrusive thoughts.

“I have no self-confidence, I’m never happy in my own skin. I don’t know why I’m here and constantly battling with myself is exhausting. I struggle to form lasting relationships and deep bonds. I never thought life would turn out like this, I am a shell of a person.

“I hope [Rowlands] understands the damage he’s caused. All I want is to be happy.

“It was so difficult to make a formal complaint to police and go through the formal process but I hope I can find closure, start to heal and find peace within myself.”

In mitigation, Susan Ferrier said her client was going through a chaotic stage of life at the time of the offences, was drinking alcohol to excess, taking drugs and involved in crime.

She said the defendant denies being sexually attracted to girls of a young age, and his biggest problem was facing up to what he had been involved in.

Judge Christopher Vosper KC told the defendant his behaviour has had a “significant impact” on the victim’s life.

He sentenced Rowlands to seven years and six months’ imprisonment, and made him subject to sex offender’ notification requirements indefinitely.

Gwent Police was asked to provide a custody photo of the defendant but declined to do so.