Paedophile's 'vile' abuse ruined girl's life
BBCA paedophile who a judge said had ruined a girl's life with "vile" abuse has been jailed for 20 years.
David Hillary, 73, had already shown a "contempt for sexual boundaries" by abusing two other girls, one of whom he was jailed for raping, before he targeted a third child, Teesside Crown Court heard.
His third victim said he took her childhood "without remorse" and she had tried to kill herself because of the trauma he inflicted.
Hillary, from Ferryhill, County Durham, denied wrongdoing but was found guilty by jurors of seven counts of indecent assault, one count of indecency with a child and one of sexual intercourse with a child under 13.
When he was a teenager, Hillary was convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old girl and, in the 1980s, he was jailed for offences including the rape of another girl, Recorder Tony Hawks said.
Hillary went on to abuse the third child, for which he was found guilty in September and jailed on Friday.
'Catastrophic consequences'
In a statement read to the court, the victim said: "The abuse I endured at his hands will always be with me."
She said she had been left with severe mental health problems and in a constant state of fear.
Having to go through the trial had caused her to "relive the nightmares", she said.
"He took my childhood without remorse and forced me to relive the pain and suffering he inflicted upon me."
The judge said Hillary had "ruined her life" and the paedophile's conduct had been "vile".
He told Hillary the previous offending was "an early indication of your contempt for any appropriate sexual boundaries".
The judge also praised the victim for her "courage" in reporting the offences to the police which led to Hillary being convicted and jailed.
"It goes with saying any sexual abuse of a young child will have catastrophic consequences, and so it is with her," the judge said.
Hillary was also ordered to serve a further year on extended licence if and when he is released from prison.
