A Birkenhead man has been jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of raping a girl over a 14-year period. Daniel Scott Ingram, of Beckwith Street, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, October 12 after being charged with 13 counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault.
The offences were committed between 2000 and 2014. Ingram was also handed a further seven years on extended licence, a lifetime restraining order and an indefinite Sex Offender Notification Order. He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge and a collection order.
Victim describes lasting impact
In a victim personal statement read as part of the case, the woman described the lasting impact of the abuse, saying she had spent years trying to suppress the memories.
She said: "Denial has been my automatic response for so long because facing the reality was just too hard. I hoped that if I buried my thoughts deep enough, they’d go away but what you did to me is unfortunately never far away."
"You were a monster. You groomed me. You manipulated me. You exploited my trust and preyed on my innocence and vulnerability to make me into the perfect play thing that you could manipulate as you pleased. You stole my innocence from me."
"I've come to realise that there’s no escape from your own mind and I’m emotionally exhausted being forever on my guard, not being able to allow myself to enjoy things for fear that something might happen. Even those moments that are meant to fill you with joy, mine are mostly filled with fear. You have not only taken away my childhood, but you also continue to take away parts of my adult life."
The woman described the court proceedings as the first step in her healing, adding: "This is the first step of my healing because I have faced you and made people aware of what kind of monster you are."
Police response
Detective Constable Robert Sandham said Ingram had committed the offences over several years and described him as a "dangerous and calculated individual".
He said: "He thought he could get away with it, deny what happened and force the victim to go through the ordeal of a trial. Thankfully, a jury saw through his lies and today he begins a lengthy prison sentence for his deprived actions. I sincerely hope that his sentencing can bring some comfort to the woman who is still living with the trauma to this day."
"With these types of investigations, our specialist team is here to support victims with sensitivity and compassion, every step of the way, from the initial report through to court proceedings. I would continue to urge anyone who is a victim of any form of sexual abuse to please report this to police, or through our partner agencies."
"We take all such reports extremely seriously, and in addition, work with partner organisations such as Victim care Support Service and RASA who are there to support victims of this crime."
Support for victims
To report a sexual offence you can call 101, where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you have been a victim of sexual offences, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
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.
You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/
There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and 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.
