Merfyn Jones has been convicted of 13 counts of rape and been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life

Defendant Merfyn Jones, of Shotton, was jailed for 17 years for a series of historic sex offences against children

The perverted past of a man — branded a sexual predator — caught up with him when he was jailed for 17 years for a campaign of sexual offences.

Merfyn Jones, 53, of Rowden Street in Shotton, was placed on the sex offender’s register for life.

Jones had denied 13 offences of attempted rape, attempted rape and indecent assault against four complainants, when they were children, dating back to the 1990s.

But he was unanimously convicted by a jury at Mold Crown Court in December.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said that Jones continued to deny the offences and had shown no remorse at all.

“You have no comprehension of the way in which you were meant to behave as a grown man towards young children, or the harm you have caused the victims,” the judge told him.

Jones, from Fllintshire, was a man of no convictions and had to be sentenced for his behaviour 20 years ago when he was in his 30s, he said.

Although there had been a significant delay, the other side of that was that he had managed to live a normal life for many years while the victims had to live with what he had done to them.

“You took advantage of four young girls and you did so repeatedly,” Judge Rowlands told him.

Two of the victims had been raped.

“Totally understandably, your behaviour had an appalling and profound effect,” the judge said.

“They continue to suffer to this day while you could not care less about the harm you have caused.

The only mitigation was that the offending ended in the 1990s and he had not been in any trouble since.

Judge Rowlands said that the victims were women now in their 20s and 30s but that Jones had taken away their childhoods — and thought he had got away with it.

“Now, I am afraid, you have to answer for your depraved behaviour as a younger man,” he said.

At the earlier hearing the judge said that on the verdicts of the jury, he fell to be sentenced as a sexual predator who had got away with for many years.

Jones was convicted of six charges of rape, one charge of attempted rape and six charges of indecent assault.

Prosecuting barrister John Philpotts said that victim impact statements showed the offences had not been reported at the time because the victims, as children, did not think they would be believed.

Some of them spoke of being unable to sleep, having nightmares, and still feeling the pain of what he had done.

One said that she felt angry and emotional and found it difficult to trust people.

Another told how her confidence and self-esteem had been affected and she suffered panic attacks.

Mr Philpotts described it as a sustained campaign of sexual offences with multiple victims which had caused severe psychological harm.

Paul Smith, defending, argued that the description of a campaign was not appropriate.

He said Jones appreciated that he was to receive a very significant sentence but he asked to judge to keep totality in mind.

The Daily Post