A child abuser who abused a young girl left money for her after performing utterly degrading acts upon her. The victim said the abuse had led her to make an attempt on her own life. Michael Ellis, 57, carried out a campaign of sexual abuse against his victim, who was just seven-years-old when he began to indecently assault her.
The assaults included touching her intimately underneath her clothing and attempting to perform indecent acts on her with his fingers. A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Ellis also attempted to rape the victim. The abuse she suffered was characterised as “repeated and incessant” and she described him “depriving her of a happy childhood”.
The defendant of Pengam, Caerphilly, told the victim if she reported the abuse, she would be put into care and no one would believe her. The indecent assaults were compounded by Ellis leaving money after abusing the victim, which left her feeling guilty about receiving gifts from people into adulthood.
Ellis, of Fair View, denied the offences after the abuse was reported to the police in 2019 but was found guilty of one count of attempted rape and 14 counts of indecent assault. The court heard he had a previous caution for an offence of criminal damage.
Reading her victim personal statement to the court, the victim said: “The abuse I suffered has had a huge impact on my mental health…. He deprived me of a happy childhood by abusing me. In my early to mid teens I started suffering from depression and I have taken medication throughout my life. In 2012 my depression got so bad I tried to take my own life by taking an overdose…. “I struggle to trust people and push people away. I don’t have many friends and I am a bit of a loner. I struggle to accept gifts from people and I believe it was due to Michael leaving cash for me after abusing me…
“I suffer flashbacks of what Michael did to me. I didn’t want to have children as I was fearful they would suffer abuse. As a child I missed a lot of school, I didn’t want to go into lessons as I couldn’t focus… “I have thought about the abuse I suffered and the police investigation every day, this in itself along with going through the court process has been a stressful experience and it has been a difficult five years as a result. Completing this statement has been a form of closure.”
In mitigation, the court heard Ellis had difficulty in terms of learning and education as a child. It was also said there had been decades since the offences had taken place and he had not reoffended.
Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant sentenced Ellis to a total of 11 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of one year. He was made subject to a sex offender notification requirement indefinitely, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining order for 30 years. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Samaritans for non-judgmental advice 24/7 at 116 123 or by emailing [email protected].