Merlin Towers

Merlin Towers, of Harringay Crescent, Darlington, was found guilty of four counts of rape of a child following a trial at Teesside Crown Court earlier this year. The 21-year-old had denied all allegations, but the jury convicted him on four charges while acquitting him of four further counts.

Durham Crown Court heard that the victim only felt able to disclose the attacks several years after they happened. The offences took place when Towers was himself a child. In mitigation, Derek Duffy, defending, told the court that the behaviour may have begun as “sexual experimentation” by someone who was very young at the time.

Passing sentence, Judge Aisha Wadoodi stressed that she had to sentence Towers as the age he was when the crimes were committed, not as the adult now before her. She noted there were no threats involved in the offending and that psychological reports described a defendant of otherwise good character.

The judge imposed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, with requirements that Towers complete 250 hours’ unpaid work and attend 30 rehabilitation activity sessions under Probation Service supervision. Towers was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements for ten years.

The case was reported by The Northern Echo after the sentencing hearing at Durham Crown Court.