A 57-year-old man from Llansamlet has been jailed for 25 years after being convicted of the historic rape and sexual abuse of two girls under the age of 16 — with a judge describing him as a “typical pathetic paedophile” who isolated and manipulated his victims while convincing those around him he was a normal family man.
David Lake was found guilty at trial of one count of rape of a female under 16, four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14, one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, and one count of attempting to indecently assault a girl under 16.
He was sentenced today at Swansea Crown Court to 25 years in prison. He will be placed on the sex offenders register for life and made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of his sentence before he can apply to the Parole Board for release.
The court heard that Lake subjected both girls to a catalogue of sexual offending while threatening and intimidating them into silence. The abuse took place some two decades ago but it is only in recent years that the victims have come forward.
Prosecutor Ian Wright told the court that the offending was aggravated by the violence and threats Lake used — and by the fact that he gave one of his victims a sexually transmitted disease during the course of the abuse.
South Wales Police said the investigation was long and complex, spanning years between the original offences and Lake being brought to justice. The two victims, who were girls at the time of the attacks, are now adults.
In victim impact statements read from the witness box, both women detailed the lifelong consequences of Lake’s abuse. One said she had grown up feeling “dirty and ashamed” and had spent much of her life hating herself, saying the trauma of what she went through had “shaped who I am.”
The second survivor said she had lived her life with the fear that she would not be believed. She described the three years since she spoke out as the hardest of her life. “Every day has been a battle since telling my truth,” she said. “It has felt as though the little girl inside has returned — the scared, helpless child who lived in fear.”
Judge Catherine Richards told Lake he was a “typical pathetic paedophile” who “isolates and manipulates” victims while convincing people around him that he was a family man living a normal life. She said that was why people like him were able to get away with their offending for so long, and that the harm he had caused had “life-long consequences” for the survivors.
Lake has previous convictions for burglary, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, theft, obtaining property by deception, possession of a knife, and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent — for which he received a four-year prison sentence in 2007. His barrister told the court he had no previous convictions for like matters and had a number of health issues including angina.
According to the force, Lake’s sexual offending was only halted when he was imprisoned for a separate matter — a detail the investigating officer said underlined both the seriousness of his crimes and the importance of the sentence handed down today.
Detective Constable Sioned Davies said the courage shown by the victims in coming forward had been extraordinary. “It took an unbelievable amount of strength and courage for David Lake’s victims to confide to someone else about the crimes he carried out upon them, especially with so many years having passed in-between,” she said.
“This was a long and complex investigation which has finally resulted in David Lake being brought to justice, and the severity of his offending is reflected in the size of his sentence. David Lake’s attacks on the victims were only stopped when he went to jail for a separate matter. With this sentence, we hope that his offending has now been stopped for good.”
South Wales Police said it hoped the outcome of the case would provide reassurance to survivors of sexual abuse that coming forward would be met with dignity, respect and support throughout the judicial process.
Anyone who has been sexually abused and is not yet ready to report to police is urged not to suffer in silence. Support services and further information are available at south-wales.police.uk.
