A man who raped his schoolboy victim in the 1990s has been jailed for 20 years after police launched a major case against him.
Chris Bond, 61, began abusing his school-age victim in the 90s, forcing his young victim into sexual acts and abusing her for several years when she was a child.
He bribed her and threatened her to keep quiet, and it wasn’t until years later in 2018 that she made the brave decision to go to the police and reveal her past trauma.
Following a lengthy investigation by specialist officers from Northumbria Police, Bond, of Lincroft, Ashington, has been charged with ten offences, including four counts of rape, four counts of indecency with a child and two counts of inciting a child to commit sexual acts.
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He pleaded not guilty to any wrongdoing and the case was referred to Newcastle Crown Court.
But a jury found him guilty of all ten crimes on August 15 of this year.
On Friday (October 21), a judge sentenced Bond to 20 years in prison at the same court.
Following the sentencing, Northumbria Police’s Detective Constable Dan Anderson hopes the outcome will give others the strength to come forward and reminded victims of such crimes that it is “never too late” to report historic crimes.
He said: “I welcome this sentence and hope it gives our brave survivor a sense of relief and comfort that Bond will spend his remaining years in prison and removed from the rest of society.
“I also hope that this sentence will help show that it is possible to get justice for the recent crimes.
“We say it a lot, but it’s true – it’s never too late to speak up. No one should have to suffer in silence and we will support you in every way we can.’
He added: “My advice to anyone reading this story who can sadly relate to the cycle of abuse of our survivors, recent or recent, is to open up to anyone and remember that your local police are here for you.”
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