Man who raped girl, 3, at Isle of Wight park is jailed

Graham Medway, 62, pleaded guilty to attacking the girl, who had become separated from her family for only a matter of minutes.

The court heard that the child had been enjoying a sunny day out with her family at the popular Fort Victoria Country Park on the Isle of Wight in August last year.

Her parents say the incident changed their beloved daughter and added: “This is something we are going to have to live with forever.”

Today, Medway appeared at Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing.

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​Graham Medway

The court heard how the girl’s parents had lost sight of her as she ran along an uneven path ahead of them.

It was then, prosecutor David Richards said, that she was attacked by Medway.

Her parents, who had been searching for her, found her about eight minutes later.

Medway was charged with rape of a child and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

His defence barrister Elizabeth Bussey-Jones cited his guilty plea and added: “He knows that nothing he can say or do will undo the harm that he has done and the worry that the family feel they will continue to experience.”

In a moving statement read out in court, the girl’s mother said: “We as parents have to live with this forever and are worried about the consequences this will have for our family in the long term.

“When we go out for a family walk I am badly on edge.”

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Judge Roger Hetherington told Medway: “I have little doubt that you were loitering in the park area waiting for this sort of opportunity…

“You present a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm by the commission of further specified offences.”

Medway was handed a nine-year prison sentence, with a further five years of extended licence upon his release.

He will serve at least two thirds of the jail term before he can be considered for parole.