A MERTHYR man who sexually abused a child over a two-year period has been jailed for 15 years.
Phillip Harris, 58, was sentenced at Newport Crown Court on Friday (Apr 17) for a series of historical sexual offences committed between 1989 and 1991.
The victim, now in his late forties, was a child at the time of the abuse. He reported the offences to South Wales Police in 2023 after confiding in his partner.
Harris was arrested and, while he was in police custody, officers searched his home. A number of devices were seized and examined, leading to the discovery of indecent images, including Category A material.
He was charged with six counts of indecent assault of a boy under 16, five counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14, one count of buggery with a boy under 16, three counts of making indecent images of a child, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image of a child.
Harris admitted most of the offences. He denied further charges of indecent assault of a boy under 16 and gross indecency with a boy under 14, but was found guilty following a trial in March this year.
In his victim impact statement, the complainant told the court he had felt “trapped by the memories” and by a “constant, gnawing sense of loss”.
He said Harris had taken something from him that he could never get back — his childhood.
As well as the 15-year prison sentence, Harris was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders register.
Detective Constable Leah Williams, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case, who was taken through a difficult trial process by a man who preyed on him as a child.
“Whilst the trauma of the experience all those years ago remains with him, I hope the justice he now has allows him to take important steps forward in his life.
“This case demonstrates that it is never too late to report a crime of this nature. We take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly, with the aim of securing justice for victims.”
