Paedophile's sentence an insult, say victim's family

A convicted paedophile was today jailed for life in the UK for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl just weeks after his prison licence for an earlier sex attack on another child ran out.

The recorder of Cardiff Judge John Griffith Williams QC told Craig Sweeney he was a “devious” man and posed a significant risk of re-offending before telling him he would spend a minimum of five years and 108 days in prison before being considered for parole.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Sweeney, who lived at Caerleon Road, Newport, South Wales, carried out the attacks on January 2 and 3 this year.

The family of the three-year-old girl who Sweeney abducted and abused have described his sentence as “an insult” today.

Sweeney, of Caerleon Road, Newport, south Wales, snatched the girl from her home in the Llanrumney area of Cardiff on the evening of January 2 before sexually assaulting her three times.

Anne Tyson, a solicitor representing the victim’s family, said: “The family believes today's sentence is an insult to their three-year-old daughter and that there are grave failings in the criminal justice system that need to be urgently addressed.”

Sweeney, 24, kept his head bowed throughout most of the sentencing hearing and showed no emotion as the recorder told him he displayed all the classic characteristics of a paedophile.

As details of the girl’s abduction on the evening of January 2 from her home in the Llanrumney area of Cardiff were read out, close relatives left the court in tears.

The girl, described as looking younger than her age, suffered significant internal injuries in the assaults and is said to be deeply affected.

Her ordeal only ended by chance when Sweeney crashed his car between Marlborough and Hungerford after being pursued by Wiltshire Police for ignoring a traffic signal and driving without lights in the early hours of January 3.

After sentencing, Detective Superintendent Paul Kemp of South Wales Police said it had been a “particularly shocking and disturbing case”.

He said such child abductions were “extremely rare” and described Sweeney as a “very dangerous offender”.

He added: “This has been particularly distressing for the family.”

Sue Ferrier, prosecuting, said Sweeney had been drinking on the night of the abduction.

He snatched the three-year-old shortly after 9.40pm as her mother spoke on the telephone.

Ms Ferrier said she saw Sweeney, out of her window, putting her daughter in the car. She banged on the window to try to stop him leaving.

“He sped off with the three-year-old on board,” said Ms Ferrier. “Police were contacted and there was a general feeling of panic inside the house.”

The family of the girl, who searched in desperation for her throughout the night, were told in the early hours of January 3 that police in Wiltshire had found her.

Ms Ferrier said the victim was taken to the resuscitation room of the hospital in Swindon in a state of shock.

“She was clearly distressed and very frightened and asked: ’Has that nasty man gone?’.”

Examination revealed that in addition to suffering a laceration to her head, and cuts and bruises from the crash, she had internal injuries from the sexual assault.

“The girl, who was only three, had to undergo a full intimate medical examination following a painful and traumatic sexual assault she had endured,” said Ms Ferrier.

The court heard her family was left devastated by her ordeal.

Her distraught mother said the incident left her feeling worse than if there had been a death in the family.

In a witness impact statement, she said: “I feel I could have got over a death but I don’t think I will ever get over what happened to my daughter.”