In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that then 60-year-old Richard Coward was jailed for 20 years for a depraved campaign of rape and sexual abuse against his partner’s daughter. Coward—formerly of South Petherton, near Yeovil, Somerset—was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 19 October 2018. It was reported that the investigation was launched in 2016 after the victim, Harley (who waived her right to anonymity), found the courage to disclose the years of abuse she suffered between the ages of 12 and 19 in her family home.
The investigation established that Coward used “treats” and grooming tactics to gain Harley’s trust after moving into the home when she was eight. Bristol Crown Court heard that Coward systematically abused this trust on a daily basis, ensuring Harley’s mother was not present during the attacks. The prosecution reported that the abuse only ceased when Harley and her mother fled to a refuge in a different county after Coward physically assaulted the teenager, an incident that initially led to his arrest for battery before the full extent of his sexual crimes was revealed years later.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Coward’s actions were calculated to isolate the victim and damage her relationship with her mother. Bristol Crown Court heard that the trial lasted a week, during which Harley gave evidence for two and a half hours from behind a screen while Coward sat nearby. The investigation established that a jury found Coward guilty of 12 counts in total, including nine separate charges of rape and three of sexual assault, with the offences spanning from 2005 to 2012.
Judge-led proceedings resulted in Coward being handed a 20-year custodial sentence. For his actions in South Petherton and Somerset, he was removed from the community and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. The judge noted the profound impact on the victim’s childhood and her formative years, while Harley expressed relief at the sentence length, noting that while the individual counts added up to 83 years, the 20-year term provided a significant sense of justice after a two-year wait for the trial.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Somerset, the status of Richard Coward as of April 5, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (20-year term; sentenced October 2018).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- Parole Eligibility: Earliest application allowed circa 2031 (after serving two-thirds of the sentence).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Rape; Sexual assault; 12 counts total).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Bristol Crown Court; investigated by Avon and Somerset Police.
- Criminal Record: Nine counts of rape; Three counts of sexual assault; Abuse of a child from age 12 to 19; Physical assault.
- Origin: South Petherton, near Yeovil, Somerset.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Coward is managed as a high-risk registered sex offender within the prison estate and will remain so within the Somerset area upon any eventual release. Due to the nature of his conduct—which involved the long-term grooming and repeated rape of a child in his care—his management is a maximum priority for the Avon and Somerset Police Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history of manipulative behaviour, designed to turn a mother and daughter against each other, indicates a sophisticated level of predatory intent.
As a registered sex offender for life, the (then) 60-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his eventual release on licence in the 2030s will be subject to the most stringent conditions, including a total ban on contact with the victim and her family. Any failure to notify police of his movements, any attempt to return to South Petherton, or any unauthorized proximity to children will result in immediate arrest and return to custody to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of domestic sexual violence.
QUESTION – Given that the offender received a 20-year sentence despite the individual convictions totalling 83 years, do you believe that “Consecutive Sentencing” should be a mandatory legal requirement for every individual rape conviction to ensure the punishment fully matches the number of crimes committed?
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