London: A paedophile who raped and sexually abused eight victims over a 19-year timeframe has been brought to justice.
The abuse by Pramod Dhakal, 49, only came to light in November 2023 when one of the victims confided in her family. This then resulted in further victims coming forward.
All of Dhakal’s victims except one were children at the time of the abuse, with the youngest eight years old. All but one of the victims were based in Cambridgeshire, with the other from London.
Some of the victims were reluctant to report the sexual abuse to police because they feared they wouldn’t be believed.
Dhakal, of Victorian Crescent, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was arrested two days after the initial call to police but denied sexually assaulting any of his victims.
He continued to deny any wrongdoing and stood trial for 20 days at Cambridge Crown Court in September.
After less than three hours of deliberations, jurors found him guilty by unanimous verdict on 25 counts including:
15 counts of sexual assault on a girl under the age of 16
Seven counts of rape of a girl under the age of 16
Three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
He was sentenced at the same court on Monday (1 December) where he was handed 25 years in prison, with an extended eight years on licence.
Dhakal was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and given a restraining order preventing him from contacting all eight of his victims for the same timeframe.
DC Phillipa Mallett, who investigated, said: “This case highlights that no matter when the abuse happened, or when you feel comfortable to share your story with the police, we take reports of this nature extremely seriously.
“We will endeavour to do everything we can to protect the public from child sexual offenders in our communities, no matter how much time has passed.
I hope this outcome brings closure to the survivors of Dhakal’s abuse. I commend them on their bravery for coming forward and potentially stopping further children being exploited.
Child abuse comes in many different forms and can affect anyone. If you notice something that doesn’t feel right, or think a child might be at risk, I encourage you to speak up. Sharing any concerns, no matter how small, can make all the difference.”
Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah’s Law.
