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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sami Quadri

Child rapist who preyed on victim for 18 months jailed

A man has been jailed after subjecting a child to a horrific campaign of sexual abuse over the course of 18 months.

Dylan Alfie Cullen, 19, was jailed for nine and a half years at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to raping a female child under the age of 13.

He had also pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and two counts of encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity.

Cullen carried out his offending over a period of 18 months between September 2020 and March 2022. The girl he abused was known to him.

Police arrested Cullen at an address in Kingston-upon-Thames on March last year after receving a distressed phone call from the victim’s family.

Detective Annabel Leslie-Miller  said: “This has been an extremely challenging investigation but the successful outcome has only been possible thanks to the strength the girl and her family have shown throughout this process.

“I hope now that Cullen has been convicted and sentenced, they can begin to move on with their lives.

“I also hope it encourages anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse to come forward and speak to police; we have specially trained officers who can support you and investigate what has happened.”

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