Paul Burton ‘put insidious pressure’ on a young girl to engage in sexual activity with him for five years before subjecting her to manipulative behaviour for a further five years.
The 45-year-old, Paul Burton, was found guilty on Monday (December 11), after a five-week trial at Oxford Crown Court, of eight counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault and one count of controlling and coercive behaviour.
Occurring in an Oxfordshire village, Paul Burton subjected his victim to years of abuse by filming the sexual assault, forcing her to take contraception, sending her 490 messages a day, showing up at her place of work, and more.
She suffered from several pregnancy scares across the nine years of abuse.
During the trial, Paul Burton claimed it was the victim who had ‘seduced’ and ‘blackmailed’ him but the jury dismissed his account.
Sentencing him, Judge Maria Lamb dubbed Burton’s behaviour as ‘odious’.
She said: “She became your trophy. You began to abuse her, committing the most serious of sexual crimes.
“Whether you consider the abuse grooming or controlling her, perhaps it does not matter, as the two, in my view, are two sides of the same coin.
“She felt suffocated and referred to herself as your robot. Your behaviour was self-centred and egotistical.”
In a victim impact statement read out in court by prosecutor Fern Russell, the woman said she now suffers from anxiety, depression, and possibly PTSD.
She said: “I think about this from the moment I wake up until it’s my last thought before I fall asleep.
“I find it hard to trust others or let anyone in. I’ve find it incredibly difficult emotionally. I struggle to talk about my emotions and it takes a while to open up.”
The woman added that she has struggled to return to work and has suffered a financial impact, as well as psychological, as a result of the offences.
Defending Paul Burton, of Rookery Road, Innsworth, Gloucester, barrister Nadia Chbat pointed out that the defendant has no previous convictions of a similar nature and had behaved ‘excellently’ throughout court proceedings.
However, Judge Lamb noted he was ‘gesticulating’ in the dock during sentencing and as he was taken down to the cells, he shouted: “You’ve got it wrong, I never touched her.”
Paul Burton will serve an estimated 13 years in prison before being released on licence.
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