A depraved paedophile who raped and abused a young girl for years was caught by undercover police.
Thomas Walker, formerly of Walton, carried out a sick campaign of sexual abuse against the teenager around 20 years ago, starting when she was just 13 years old. The victim finally gathered the courage to come forward in 2020 after she learned Walker had been jailed after being caught arranging to rape an 11-year-old and molest a toddler online.
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Walker, 43, was convicted of a further 11 offences last month, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault by penetration, two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child, and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, June 22, where he continued to claim his innocence. Prosecutor Robert Wyn-Jones said Walker abused the girl over a period of four years, raping and sexually assaulting her multiple times and forcing her to strip while he pleasured himself in front of her.
His campaign of terror came to light after he was caught in an online police sting in August 2019, when he told an undercover officer "I love young", and arranged to meet the stranger in order to rape and sexually abuse two young girls, aged 11 and two.
A collection of 250 Category A images - the most serious category, featuring the rape of children as young as six - was found on his phone, along with 508 Category B and 301 Category C images, plus 396 extreme porn files. He had also distributed four Category B images and shared extreme porn on WhatsApp.
In a statement, the victim said: "My world turned upside down when I saw the article. Immediately I assumed two children had come to harm because I failed to speak out. I was consumed by guilt."
The victim said she felt relieved when she learned Walker had in fact been caught in a sting, but added: "The sense of relief was quickly followed by a dull ache, and I knew I had to come forward. I knew I couldn't let this happen for real."
She told the court how Walker's abuse had deprived her of a normal childhood, and caused her "a life of guilt and shame".
She said: "Panic attacks became weekly occurrences, affecting my home life as well as my job, I was at an all time low, with every week worse than the last. I would come home from work and wallow.
"I had a debilitating desire not to exist. Every day felt bleak. I lost touch with my friends as they all seemed to be getting on with their lives while I struggled to get out of bed and shower."
She described the trauma of having to give evidence against her abuser as "a stark reminder I would never be normal".
However, she added: "The shame and guilt is not mine to carry. I haven't done anything but try to survive, despite this monster trying to keep me down, and I have fought him every step of the way.
"I will never regard myself as his victim, I will only ever be my own saviour."
Ian Harris, defending, said Walker continued to maintain his innocence.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for each count of rape, four years for each count of sexual assault by penetration, four years for each count of sexual activity in the presence of a child, one year for each count of sexual activity with a child, and six months for the assault. Each sentence will run concurrently, resulting in a total of 16 years.
