Thomas Vanstone, a Roath paedophile, “ruined the life” of a young girl by persistent sexual abuse, leading her to self-harm and have suicide ideation. The victim stated that she was so young when the abuse commenced that she was unaware of the wrongdoing of her abuser.
Thomas Vanstone, 26, from Cardiff, commenced the sexual abuse of his victim when she was at eight years old. During a sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday, Vanstone contested the charges; however, he was convicted of three counts of child sexual assault including penetration and two counts of forcing or persuading a minor to engage in sexual conduct. The defendant, residing on Marlborough Road in Roath, has a prior commendable reputation.
In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Laurence Jones, the victim said: “It’s been a very long year. What Thomas Vanstone did to me has ruined my life. This has had a massive impact on me… I carried this on my own shoulders for years being too scared to say anything. I feel weight has been lifted off my shoulders but I still carry some. I feel relieved I opened up. It took years to realise what he was doing to me was wrong. I trusted him.
“I carry a lot of trauma, shock, shame and confusion. I emotionally feel what happened to me as a little girl has ruined my life. I have night terrors and I’m struggling to understand what he did to me… I am suffering from depression and anxiety. I felt I was an introvert and did not care about myself and others before telling my mum. I’m struggling to sleep, I fear going out in large crowds and I feel really isolated and alone in this process.
“I didn’t want to leave my bedroom because it was my safe space. I have flashbacks…This led me to having suicidal thoughts and self harming… I have continued to self harm throughout this process. I am not motivated to do anything and it’s impacted my self confidence. I feel what he has done to me has ruined my birthday because each year I get older I feel even lower and came to realise what he did to me was wrong.”
In mitigation, defence barrister Andrew Davies said his client continues to maintain his innocence. He said Thomas Vanstone was “still a young” and “hardworking” man. Sentencing, Judge Paul Hopkins said: “You have expressed no remorse whatsoever for your appalling behaviour and (the victim) has suffered a very significant psychological impact.”
Thomas Vanstone was sentenced to six years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, sex offender notification requirements and a restraining order indefinitely.
Following the hearing, detective constable Rhiannon Phillips, from South Wales Police, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward to police. It has been a difficult time for everyone involved and we hope the outcome at court provides some comfort. South Wales Police takes all reports of sexual violence extremely seriously. Help and support is available for all victims of sexual violence, and we would encourage any victims; no matter how long ago the offence happened, to please come forward.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.