Sixteen years for man who sexually abused boy for a decade

A 59-year-old man who sexually abused his girlfriend’s young son for ten years was jailed for 16 years by Limassol criminal court on Wednesday.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child under 13. The offences were committed between 2005 and 2014, starting when the child was only six, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

In its decision the court said the gravity of the offence was reflected in the penalties provided by law. It spoke also of a worrying increase in such crimes and said this necessitating passing down a sentence that would act as a deterrent.

The defendant’s illegal actions could only result in feelings of disgust and aversion, the court added, noting that he had taken advantage of his relationship with the child’s mother, abused her trust and forced the child from the tender age of six to have intercourse with him.

“The defendant committed serious crimes against the child in a premeditated and systematic manner,” the court said. Rather than love, tenderness and affection the child was on the receiving end of brutal and constant sexual abuse from the defendant.

The lengthy period of 10 years during which the child suffered and the big age difference between them served as aggravating factors in the court’s decision.

When the defendant first had illegal intercourse with the child, he was only six years old while the defendant was 42, making his criminal action even more reprehensible, the court added.

An additional aggravating factor was that the crime had led the child many times in the past to consider taking his own life, it concluded.