Police urge victims to come forward as Wirral sex abuser is jailed (From Wirral Globe)

Police urge victims to come forward as Wirral sex abuser is jailed

10:19am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News By Leigh Marles

Victims of sexual abuse are being encouraged to come forward and report what happened to them after a sex offender was today jailed for offences committed in the 1980s.

David Francis Taylor, aged 61, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison after a teenage boy he indecently assaulted while Taylor was a Sea Cadet leader in Wirral gave evidence more than 20 years later.

Taylor used his position of trust to abuse his victim while on outdoor activities in the Northwest and, although this crime went unreported for decades, he was later jailed several times for other offences.

Today's sentencing came as a result of a man in his 40s seeing a court report in the Globe about Taylor's previous offending and contacting the police.

Since then, specially-trained officers from the force's dedicated Unity rape investigation team have been providing support to the adult victim while the case was brought to court.

Detective Constable Victoria Milsom from the Unity Team, said: "The victim in this case has been incredibly brave in coming forward after decades of suffering in silence. In doing so he has seen justice done in that the man who abused him will now spend further years behind bars.

"Taylor has a record of sexual offending and we cannot rule out that there are more victims out there. He used his position of trust in charge of teenage boys to groom them for his own sexual gratification.

"He did not care what the physical and emotional repercussions were for his young victims and they will have suffered considerably all through their adult lives.

"My message to anyone who has been a victim of a sexual abuse is to report it. No matter how long ago it happened, there are people in the police who will take you seriously and listen to what you have to say.

"Please do not suffer in silence and let the perpetrators of sexual violence affect the rest of your life or the lives of others they may go on to abuse."

Call Merseyside Police on 101 or Safe Place Merseyside on 0151 295 3550.