Ashington rapist Kris Bond locked up for 20 years for attacking schoolgirl in 1990s

Kris Bond, 61, began abusing his school-aged victim in the 1990s, forcing his young victim to carry out sexual acts and raping her over a number of years.

He bribed and threatened her into keeping quiet and it was not until years later, in 2018, that she made the brave decision to contact police and disclose her past trauma.

Bond, of Lyncroft, Ashington, was charged with 10 offences, including four counts of rape, four counts of indecency with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He claimed to be innocent of any wrongdoing and the case was sent for trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

But a jury saw though his lies and on August 15, he was found guilty of all 10 offences.

On Friday, at that same court, a judge handed Bond a 20-year jail sentence.

Detective Dan Anderson, of Northumbria Police’s safeguarding department, said he hoped the outcome would give other victims of crime the courage to come forward.

He said: “I welcome this sentence and I hope it gives our brave survivor some sense of relief and comfort to know Bond will spend many of his remaining years locked up and moved far away from the rest of society.

“I also hope this sentence helps show that it is very possible to get justice for non-recent offences.

“We say it a lot but it is true – it is never too late to come forward.

"No one should have to suffer in silence, and we will support you in every way we can.”

He added: “My advice to anyone out there who has read this story and can sadly relate to our survivor’s cycle of abuse, recent or non-recent, is to open up to whoever you can and remember that your local police force is here for you.”

Help for victims of rape or sexual assault is available online via https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/help-after-rape-and-sexual-assault/

Victims can also seek advice from the Rape Crisis charity at https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/reporting-to-the-police/