A man who sexually assaulted a young girl on repeated occasions will spend longer in jail after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal for being too low.
Paul Ridout, now 72, was in his 50s when he regularly forced his victim to carry out sexual acts. The victim did not initially report Ridout as she believed the relationship was normal.
In August this year, Ridout was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment with a 1 year extended licence period at Cardiff Crown Court. Today, this has been increased to 9 years imprisonment with a 1 year extended licence period after the Solicitor General referred the case for being unduly lenient.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:
“I am pleased the Court of Appeal has agreed that Ridout’s sentence deserved to be higher. He sexually abused a young girl on repeated occasions, and I hope that she will be able to take some comfort from the increased sentence he received today.”
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