A paedophile from Bristol fled to Jamaica after trying to rape a child. Peter Woolley, 41, has been jailed for committing horrific acts on a child over a four-year period.
Bristol Crown Court heard how he sexually assaulted and attempted to rape the victim in Bristol. She told her mother in 2020 who then alerted police, but Woolley had fled to Jamaica the day after the most recent attack had taken place.
He returned to the UK four years later and was arrested. Woolley pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted rape of a child under 13 and one count of sexual assault of a child under 13.
He appeared at Bristol Crown Court last Monday, December 2, and was jailed for 12 years. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restraining order, a lifetime ban on working with children and vulnerable adults, and will be on the Sex Offenders Register.
In a statement from the victim, she said: “I am sensitive to things that never used to worry me. I cry sometimes and get angry and annoyed at little things which wouldn’t have affected me before.
“I like to spend time alone in the dark in my bedroom these days. It is silent and I feel like I am at peace. I sometimes listen to some music when I’m in my room to help me be at peace. I feel uncomfortable around men. I am conscious of what clothes I’m wearing and I feel like men are always looking at me.”
Officer in the case, Detective Constable Elizabeth Howell said: “I have to commend the continued bravery shown by the victim. No one should be subjected to attacks of this nature, but to have had this happen at such a young age, makes this all the more horrific.
“She has shown incredible endurance and courage over the past few years while we attempted to bring Woolley back to the UK from Jamaica and into our custody. In the end, he returned to the UK of his own volition, but we were waiting for him.
“The judge described Woolley as robbing the victim of her childhood, and I only hope this sentence will give the victim and her family some justice as she continues to come to terms with what happened to her.”
Reporting sexual abuse
Avon and Somerset Police say: “It is never too late to report an offence. If you’ve been a victim of sexual abuse, recent or non-recent, you don’t even have to speak to the police. You can report rape or sexual assault, whether it is recent or non-recent by calling 101 or visiting here.
“Find out more about what support is available to you at the ‘When you are ready’ website here: When You Are Ready.”