David McDonald

A Newton Aycliffe man has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being convicted of the rape of a child.

David McDonald, 64, of Middridge Road, was found guilty of the sickening sex attack by a jury on April 1, following a three-day trial at Durham Crown Court. He had denied the offences on which he was convicted, plus 11 other charges, of which he was acquitted.

The court heard that McDonald was convicted after his DNA was discovered on the victim. A pre-sentence report was prepared by the Probation Service, and the victim provided an impact statement that was read aloud at the sentencing hearing on Friday, June 5. In the statement, the victim described the long-term effect as "insufferable", leaving them scared to sleep and increasingly paranoid. They said: "I just want a normal life but he’s stripped me of that." The victim also spoke of being unable to look in a mirror, struggling to be alone, and developing a general distrust of men, while the "shadowy figure" of the defendant remained a haunting presence.

Prosecutor Annie Richardson applied for a restraining order, which was not opposed by defence counsel Paul Abrahams. Mr Abrahams said the only real mitigation was McDonald’s previous long-term good character, as he continued to deny the offending.

Recorder Jamie Hill KC acknowledged that the defendant could be credited for more than 60 years without previous convictions, but noted that this was of limited weight given the nature of the case. He imposed a ten-year custodial sentence, of which McDonald must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible for release on licence. The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order relating to the victim, and McDonald will be subject to sex offender registration indefinitely.