A 70-YEAR-OLD man from Knowsley who sexually abused a child has been jailed for 17 years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Alan Dreha, of Hanmer Road in Kirkby, Merseyside, abused the girl throughout the 1990s and to the early 2000s.

She tried to tell people over the years about what was happening to her but nothing was done.

She went to the police in March 2019 and an investigation began.

Dreha was charged with 14 counts in total, relating to indecent assault and indecency with a child, but he denied everything.

He was found guilty following a trial in May this year.

 

Lengthy sentence

This week a judge at Liverpool Crown Court gave him a 19 year sentence - 17 years to be served in prison and two years on extended licence.

He has been placed on the Sexual Offenders Register for life.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Sarah Egan, a specialist lawyer with CPS Mersey Cheshire’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit (RASSO) described the abuse as "appalling" and said that Dreha has shown no remorse at all for what he has done to his victim.

Ms Egan said: "She [the victim] still struggles to trust people, and it has severely affected her mental health. She said that ‘it is such a lonely life you live when you are the victim of sexual abuse’.

“Dreha has spent the last 32 years living a lie and maintaining an image of a respectable life, whilst the victim has had to endure, and deal with, the consequences of the sexual abuse she has suffered.

"There is absolutely no doubt that Dreha’s actions have caused this victim grave harm.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the victim and family for the courage and strength they have shown throughout the proceedings, as well as the parties involved who have assisted in bringing a successful prosecution.

"We hope that the prosecution allows the victim to move forwards with her life."

Victim's courage

In a statement, Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan of Merseyside Police said: “Dreha denied his offending meaning his victim was forced to endure a trial. We welcome that he will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars to consider the consequences of his actions.

“I would like to take this opportunity to praise Dreha’s victim for their courage in coming forward to report his crimes, and the dignity they have shown throughout the whole of this investigation.

“While no sentence will repair the damage that Dreha’s abuse has caused, I hope that by seeing Dreha sent to prison for a long time, this will give his victim some sort of closure and allow them to move on with their lives knowing he cannot harm anyone else.

“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.

“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us. We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

“Time is no barrier to reporting offences and I would urge anyone who has been victim of a sexual offence at any time to come forward and we will do everything we can to help and support them.”

Anyone with information or wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind, support is available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.


In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063

If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support:

NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk.
Childline – call 0800 1111

Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801.