Carl Dyson, 29, from Blurton has been jailed for 11 years after luring and raping a child inside a tent.

The court at Stoke-on-Trent heard that the 29-year-old persuaded the young girl to go inside a tent he erected in a secluded spot on the edge of playing fields near a wooded area before he abused her.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said: “The defendant erected a tent and invited the girl inside where he took the opportunity to abuse her.

“After his arrest his computer was seized by the police and there were a number of photographs which showed the girl in situations of very clear indecency.”

Dyson was made the subject of a 15 year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) which prevents him from having any unsupervised contact with any girl under the age of 16.

And will be put on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

The case for the CPS public protection unit was a very unusual case because the complainant has never discussed the assaults orally. She wrote her initial account in  a series of notes and was then “interviewed” using typed questions and answers across 2 linked computers.
 
At the trial, she gave evidence from a video unit, so the jury could see her on screens in court, and a similar computer link was established between the court and her room.
 
A typist in court typed questions as they were asked and the complainant typed back her answers. The running text appeared on screens set up for the jury.
 

To read the full article in The Sentinel click here.

Click here to view Mark Heywood QC’s full profile.