Nepalese paedophile jailed for sexually abusing seven children and one woman over nearly 20 years

Cambridge Crown Court heard that Dhakal’s position of authority within the community “allowed him trusted access to a number of young females”.

All but one of his victims were children when the offences took place, with the youngest being just eight years old.

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CAMBRIDGE CONSTABULARY

All but one of the victims were from Cambridgeshire, with the remaining victim based in London.

The paedophile is thought to have carried out the abuse over a period of 19 years.

Dhakal was found guilty of 25 separate sexual offences and was sentenced to 25 years in prison and was given an extended licence period of eight years.

Jurors found him guilty by unanimous verdict on 15 counts of sexual assault on a girl under the age of 16, seven counts of rape of a girl under the age of 16 and three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

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Prosecutor Claire Matthews told the court that one of the victims had thought of Dhakal as a “second father,” but recalled feeling helpless and said he had told her “it won’t take long”.

In her victim impact statement, she said the “emotional manipulation silenced me for years” and “he taught me the truth would do more harm than good”.

She noted that reporting the abuse “felt impossible” as a child due to cultural factors.

The victim added: “Pramod Dhakal chose to abuse me as a child. The consequences didn’t end when the abuse stopped.”

Another victim told Cambridge Crown Court that “I thought I was the only one, we all did”, while another said she wished the paedophile “nothing but the absolute worst”.

Jurors heard that many of the women abused by Dhakal had since suffered mental breakdowns.

Judge Mark Bishop said the 49-year-old continued to deny the abuse.

He told the defendant: “You knew these girls would not tell their parents about what they were doing.”

After the verdict was delivered, Detective Constable Phillipa Mallett said: “This case highlights that no matter when the abuse happened, or when you feel comfortable to share your story with the police, we take reports of this nature extremely seriously.

“We will endeavour to do everything we can to protect the public from child sexual offenders in our communities, no matter how much time has passed.

“I hope this outcome brings closure to the survivors of Dhakal’s abuse.

“I commend them on their bravery for coming forward and potentially stopping further children being exploited.”