A paedophile was accused of ‘destroying’ his victim’s childhood.

Willem van der Werf, 56, groomed his primary school-aged victim, telling her that he ‘liked’ her and kissed her on the lips.

He repeatedly molested her over several days last spring. On March 26 last year, he played the girl pornography on his laptop then told her they would ‘have sex’.

The Dutchman sexually assaulted the girl, got her to perform a sex act on him then raped her.

She later told her mother about what had happened and Werf was arrested by the police.

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His laptop was searched by police specialists. It showed he had been searching for terms like ‘tiny teens’ and rape.

Prosecuting, Robert Brown said of the sexual assaults: “If not a campaign, it is a course of conduct that involved a degree of planning and grooming and notwithstanding the defendant’s denials in his pre-sentence report, clearly based on his attempt to derive sexual gratification and sexual interest in a very young child.”

Jailing him for 12 years and nine months and ordering he serve an extended four years on licence, Judge Nigel Daly told Werf: “What you have done to her is destroy not only her childhood but possibly the rest of her life. You did it for your own sexual gratification. There is no escaping from that.

“You abused this child in circumstances where you were supposed to be looking after her. You abused her in such a way that she will never recover from that which you have done to her.”

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Earlier, defence barrister Adrian Amer told the judge that, although his client had only entered his guilty pleas weeks before the trial was due to take place, he was ‘deeply remorseful’ and recognised the impact his offending had on the victim.

The lawyer said: “He said he can’t sleep at night and he feels very, very sorry for what he’s done and he doesn’t really know why it happened and it was stupid. He said it went way too far.

“He has shown remorse. Some would say it is far too late [but] at least he has done it. At least he has expressed his remorse. At least he has pleaded guilty to all the counts on the indictment and at least now with all the trauma that the victim will go through she will…understand he has pleaded guilty and accepts his guilt.”

Werf, formerly of Calthorpe, Banbury, pleaded guilty to 10 counts including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual activity with a child under-13, causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch an image of a sexual act. He had no previous convictions.

He will remain on the sex offender register for life.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward