Rapist jailed for attacks on boy (From This Is Wiltshire)

A teenage rapist who repeatedly abused a lad when he was just ten years old has been jailed for five years.

Samuel Cole was himself just 15 or 16 years of age when he interfered with the youngster, abusing him again and again.

Cole, now aged 22, also got another six-year-old lad to indecently touch himself after taking him to see a ‘magic tree’ while out fishing.

Although he denied the offending against the second boy a jury last month found him guilty following a trial at Swindon Crown Court.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said the trial involved Cole getting the six year old to touch himself in front of him after he got him alone at a lake.

He told the court how more serious offending took place in the Goatacre area between late 2005 and the end of 2007 when the victim was aged between nine and 11.

He said: “When he was about ten years of age he fell under this young man’s malign eye. He was sexually abused too but in ways infinitely more serious.”

The lad was raped three times and was reluctant to come forward, only revealing what had happened when his mum confronted him after looking at entries in his diary.

Mr Meeke said: “He was extremely unwilling, as one can imagine, to discuss this. His mother found diary entries which worried her.

“He was terribly unwilling to make a statement. It took a little time. We have heard of courage in criminal cases recently.

“Perhaps the courage of the victim coming forward, the enormous courage of a young man of 15 years to reveal the ghastly things that happened to him.”

He said in a victim impact statement the schoolboy said: “Samuel Cole ruined my childhood, what he did to me will affect me for my entire life.”

At the trial in the case of the six-year-old the jury was told he let on what had happened after his family read about Cole being charged with rape in the paper.

Cole, formerly of Harts Close, Goatacre, but now living at Goldsworthy Close, Swindon, admitted three counts of rape and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He pleaded not guilty to causing or inciting the six-year-old to engage in sexual activity but was convicted following a trial.

Chris Oswald, defending, said his client had learning difficulties and though he was chronologically much older than his victims he operated at a level below his years.

He pointed out that Cole was himself a child when the offending took place and could have been as young as 15 when he carried out the rapes.

Jailing him Judge Doulas Field said: “You have had several learning difficulties and your development has been impaired.”

But he added: “I am quite satisfied even though your intellectual abilities are limited, you knew what you were doing was wrong.”

As well as jailing him for five years he told him he must register as a sex offender for life and banned him from ever working with children.

He also imposed a sexual offence prevention order for ten years restricting his liberty when he is released from prison.