Man Jailed for Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Girls

Colin Darlington, 51, of Melick Road, Beanhill, Milton Keynes, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison at Aylesbury Crown Court for subjecting vulnerable girls to sexual abuse.

Darlington was found guilty at an earlier hearing of two counts of rape of a female child under the age of 16, and of 10 counts of indecent assault. He was found not guilty of one count of indecent assault.

The offenses relate to incidents that occurred in Wellingborough during the 1990s and in Milton Keynes in the 2000s. Darlington targeted vulnerable girls, aged between 11 and 15 at the time of the offenses, and subjected them to either rape or sexual assaults.

He was charged on December 30, 2014, and convicted on October 4. At the sentencing, His Honour Judge Cole paid tribute to the victims and referred to Darlington as a "ruthless, determined paedophile."

Investigating officer Det Con Graeme Williams, of the Thames Valley Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "This has been a long and difficult process for the victims and we would like to thank them for both their courage in coming forward, and their resilience through such a demanding trial. These offenses have had a great and lasting impact on their lives and I hope that the sentence handed out by the court will go some way to helping them move forward."