Paedophile delivery driver raped girl in back of his van.

Paedophile Rapist Sentenced to 20 Years

Steven Bielby, 68, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape and abuse of a young girl over 30 years ago.

Bielby, of Woodfield Road in Bude, pleaded guilty to four rape charges and indecency with a child. He had initially fled Cornwall to avoid trial but was caught by an ANPR camera near Swindon and eventually apprehended.

The court heard how Bielby, a fruit and veg driver, groomed the young victim by buying her presents and began sexually abusing her from the age of 13. He would take her on journeys in his delivery van and rape her in the back, dropping her off afterwards.

The abuse took place on numerous occasions, and Bielby also met the victim from school to rape and abuse her at other locations. The victim said she was too scared to fight back due to the routine nature of the abuse.

Bielby encouraged the young girl to shave her public hair and steal condoms from shops.

In a victim impact statement, the victim described how the abuse denied her a proper education and left her with few friends. She suffered a breakdown and was put on anti-psychotic medication.

Sentencing Bielby, Judge Simon Carr called the abuse "systematic and long-term rape" and criticized Bielby's attempt to abscond as "simple cowardice."