Isle of Wight Man Jailed for Sex Offences

A man has been jailed after admitting a number of non-recent sexual offences on the Isle of Wight.

Graham Medway, aged 64 and formerly of the Freshwater area, appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 30 August this year where he pleaded guilty to:

• Rape of a child under 13 years of age
• Assault by penetration
• Sexual assault of a child under 13 years of age

This follows an investigation by the Operation Marmion team, who specialize in investigating non-recent child sex offences.

Appearing at Isle of Wight Crown Court today (4 October), Medway was given an 8 year extended sentence in prison. His Honour Judge Shepherd jailed him for 6 years but added a further two years on in acknowledgement of Medway's dangerousness as an offender.

Detective Inspector Damian Glendenning said: "We are grateful to all of the victims who have shown such bravery throughout this investigation. It is because of their courage that we have secured these convictions against Medway. I want the public to be reassured that we take all sexual offence and child sex abuse allegations incredibly seriously. We encourage people to continue reporting information to the police about this type of offending so we can target perpetrators and safeguard vulnerable people."

If you have been affected by child sexual abuse you can contact police on 101 and speak to a police officer in confidence.

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In a separate incident, a 62-year-old man was jailed for nine years for raping a three-year-old girl in broad daylight at Fort Victoria Country Park on the Isle of Wight.

Graham Medway approached and attacked the young girl on August 31, 2020, a bank holiday Monday, after she had run ahead of her family. The family had a system for when the girl couldn't be seen, but she did not respond on this occasion, sparking concern.

The girl's mother lost track of her daughter as they walked down a path. Medway abducted and attacked the child by orally raping her after taking her into a secluded part of the woodland.

Over a period of about eight minutes, the mother searched frantically for her daughter, only locating her after dog walkers directed her back to the fort area. The dog walkers had also seen Medway with the little girl emerging from some bushes, with the attacker appearing to be bending down and telling her off.

The young girl was found by the fort, and she told her mother: "That man put his willy in my mouth."

Medway was located by Hampshire Constabulary later that night, and he was arrested and later charged. He pleaded guilty to one count of raping a child under the age of 13 and was sentenced to an extended sentence of 14 years, nine of which will be custodial and the rest on licence.

The incident has had a devastating impact on the girl and her family. The mother described the trauma and devastation the incident had caused, saying that she "simply cannot describe the full impact this had had on each and every one of us."

The mother also spoke of the lasting impact the incident has had on her and her husband, who are now anxious in their daily life.

"As a result of this man's actions in the few seconds she was out of our sight, we have to carry overwhelming guilt that we failed to protect her. This will be with us for the rest of our lives."