Child rapist’s prison term increased

A MAN from Wiltshire who raped two children over a number of years has received an increased prison sentence, after the

Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC MP referred his case to the Court of Appeal.

Semi Lave, 32 and from Tidworth, was found to have sexually abused and raped two children between 2015 and 2020 on no fewer than 30 occasions.

Both the children were threatened with violence if they told their mother about the abuse and both reported being physically held by the jaw by the offender.

One of the victims also stated that Lave had slapped her round the face when she refused his sexual advances.

Lave’s offending came to light in July 2020 when his young victims bravely reported the abuse and police arrested Lave. On February 3, Lave was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment at Salisbury Crown Court for 10 counts of rape of a child and one count of sexual assault against a child. A sexual harm prevention order was also made against him for an indefinite period.

Following the sentencing, the Solicitor General referred Lave’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The court found yesterday the original sentence to be unduly lenient. The sentence was substituted for a special custodial sentence of 30 years, comprising a custodial term of 24 years and an extended licence period of six years.

Mr Chalk, the Cheltenham MP, said: “I am pleased with the decision of the Court to increase the punishment for these appalling crimes and believe that today’s ruling shows that sexual offences against a child will be met with robust punishment.”