‘Totally depraved’ man jailed for sex offences

A man’s “totally depraved” past caught up with him when he was jailed for a total of 17 years.

John Paul Hunt, aged 50, denied a series of sexual offences in the Rhyl area, dating back to when he was in his late 20s and early 30s.

They were committed against a girl when she was aged between 10 and 13. She was now a grown woman with a family of her own, the court heard.

Hunt, of Cowan Way, Widnes, was cleared of rape but was convicted of indecent assault and indecency with a child, together with possessing indecent images of children on his arrest last year.

Judge Rhys Rowlands ordered him to register with the police as a sex offender for life and a life-time sexual harm prevention order was made.

He said Hunt, who had no previous convictions, had shown no remorse.

It had taken a long time for the offences to come to court but he had taken advantage of a girl and abused her, the judge said.

He had been an adult and she a young child of primary school age.

The delay meant that Hunt had got away with his actions for many years while the victim had to live with what had happened to her – and it had a profound effect upon her.

There had been grooming behaviour when she was very young, the judge said.

He described Hunt’s behaviour as “totally depraved”.