A woman from Cornwall and her partner have been sentenced to jail for conspiring to drug and rape their six-year-old daughter. The couple, whose identities have been kept secret to protect the victim, were sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court on Friday, August 30.
The woman, from East Cornwall, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, while the man, from North Cornwall, was sentenced to 13 years. Both were also given 20-year sexual harm prevention orders, according to the report. itv news,
The investigation began in 2021 after the man accidentally left his phone with someone in a pub, following which he received disturbing messages related to the sexual abuse of a young girl. Police seized the phone as evidence and later arrested both men.
Detectives uncovered text messages that showed the woman planned to drug her six-year-old daughter so the man could rape her. They also found sexually explicit photos of the girl that the woman had taken and sent to him.
The woman was charged with five counts and pleaded not guilty to all of them. However, at her trial at Truro Crown Court in May 2024, the jury found her unanimously guilty and sentenced her to 17 years in prison for the following offences:
- Conspiracy to rape a girl under 13 years of age
- Conspiracy to assault a child under the age of 13
- administering a substance with the intent to render someone unconscious in order to permit sexual activity
- Distributing pornographic images of a child
- Possession of indecent images of a child
The man pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to rape a girl under the age of 13 and possessing indecent images of the girl. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Sarah Ward, said: “This has been an extremely tragic case, and we welcome the sentence handed down by the judge today. I would like to thank all those who supported the police investigation during what has been a long and challenging process due to the nature of these crimes. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the investigating team who have worked with the utmost professionalism and commitment in bringing these offenders to justice for their abhorrent acts. The young victim was betrayed by the man who should have been protecting her. All our thoughts are with the victim.”
