21-year prison sentence for child rapist

A man from Powys has been jailed for raping and sexually abusing a young girl over a nine-year period.

Paul David Withnell, aged 74, of Presteigne, was found guilty of 19 non-recent child sex offences following an 8-day trial at Merthyr Crown Court in November 2025 and was sentenced to 21 years in jail on Friday.

At the trial, the court heard how the victim was just seven years old when her childhood was cruelly stripped from her. The prosecution explained how this was just the start of a pattern of sexual abuse that would continue until she was fifteen.

It was told how the abuse began in the 1980s through the guise of a sick game called ‘tickle and fight’ where the offender would ask the victim to touch his penis, and he would touch her vagina.

Over time, Withnell began to fabricate a twisted fantasy in which he and the young girl were in a romantic relationship. It was during this time that he began raping his victim which, in one instance, resulted in her becoming pregnant and experiencing a miscarriage during the summer school holidays. She was around just thirteen years old.

Delivering her impact statement in court, the victim said: “As I look back over my childhood, I am left with lasting trauma, flashbacks and memories that will never leave me…

“My innocence was ruined far too young, and I was forced to live in a world for adults when I was a mere child…”

The extent of Withnell’s sexual interest in young girls was further revealed through his collection of naked photographs and personal drawings of young girls. When asked about the nude images, the defendant told police “I think children, girls, between the ages of 13 and 16/17 are at their most beautiful. Or I did think that. That’s why I wanted to capture that in my drawings.”

In March 2025, Withnell pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking indecent photographs of a child but denied all the other charges against him.

The victim described the lasting impact of the abuse she suffered as a child.

She said: “No matter how resilient I have learnt to be as an adult, I will never escape the shame of my past. I feel as if I’ve been left with a permanent dirty stain that is always there, and no matter how I live my life now and try to forget my past, that stain remains – and will inevitably remain throughout my future.”

‘Appalling conduct’

Sentencing Withnell at Cardiff Crown Court, the judge highlighted the consequences the defendant’s actions have had on the victim’s life, causing her ‘unspeakable hardship, misery and upset’.

“You caused her to endure decades of emotional pain… and now you must atone for your appalling conduct,” he said.

“I think about that fourteen-year-old girl as she was undergoing the miscarriage… and I ask myself how frightened, isolated and scared that young teenager must have felt at having to undergo and endure that experience.

“It is almost impossible to articulate in adequate English how utterly appalling that experience must have been for her.”

Withnell has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life, as well as being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Bravery

Detective Inspector Christine Beaton from Dyfed-Powys Police said: “I want to commend the victim in this case for her bravery in coming forward to report these horrendous crimes.

“I understand that reporting crimes of this nature, particularly many years after they happened, can be especially daunting.

“The dignity and strength shown throughout the course of the investigation is testament to her resilience, bravery and determination to secure justice.

“Thanks to her support, and the diligent work of the investigation team, Withnell has finally been held to account for his vile actions.

“As Withnell faces his time in prison, I hope the victim in this case can take some solace in today’s outcome as she begins to move forward with her life.”