Man jailed for sexually assaulting teenager in ‘dungeon’ 33 years ago

A man who kidnapped a teenager and sexually assaulted her in a “dungeon” has been jailed after police tracked him down more than 30 years later.

David Green, 60, approached the 15-year-old girl as she walked along the seafront at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in the afternoon of July 17 in 1983.

He asked her for directions before grabbing hold of her and dragging her to a “filthy, dank and dark” store building, resembling a dungeon.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Green (pictured) placed tape over the girl’s wrists and mouth then sexually assaulted her in an ordeal that lasted at least an hour.

A police investigation at the time failed to identify Green but advancements in DNA technology led to his arrest on February 26 this year – almost 33 years later.

He refused to comment in police interview but confirmed he had a tattoo of the name “DAVE” on his arm, matching a description given by his victim.

Green, of Moseley in Birmingham, was jailed for nine years after admitting charges of kidnap, sexual assault and false imprisonment.

Judge Martin Picton told him: “The passage of time has done nothing to diminish the impact of that which you did upon your victim and her family.

“You dragged your 15-year-old victim into this storage area in circumstances that will for her have been utterly terrifying – the stuff of nightmares.

“The room itself resembles a dungeon more than a store. You kept her there for a long time.

“She vividly describes the terror she experienced and how she believed she would be killed by you.”

The court heard the girl had been walking to work at a hotel in the seaside town when she was kidnapped by Green.

She was able to escape and went to her work for help after Green left the store room, at least an hour after dragging her inside.

Police investigated the case and issued an e-fit image of the suspect but Green was not traced.

Clothing and swabs taken from the victim were kept and examined when Avon and Somerset Police re-investigated the case in 2015.

Fibre tapings used to capture evidence on the clothes were sent for testing using the latest forensic techniques.

They provided a partial DNA profile which was entered onto the National DNA Database and matched with David Green.

Ian Fenny, prosecuting, said: “When he was identified that enabled the case to move forward.

“It was then that the victim was contacted and aspects of the original incident began to emerge.”

He said she recalled the “dank, sinister environment of effectively a dungeon” where she was taken by Green.

“It was a filthy, dank, dark building,” Mr Fenny added.

The victim has been so traumatised by her ordeal that she believes she will never be able to fully remember what happened, he said.

Green was found to have a string of previous convictions relating to sexual offences, dating from 1975 to 2002.

He refused to comment in police interview but confirmed he had a tattoo of “DAVE” on his arm, which he had done at about the age of 13.

This matched a description given by the victim in an interview at the time of the offence.

Representing Green, Andrew Baker said his client had “an absolutely dreadful childhood”.

“His life has radically changed through the partnership that he found over the past 20 or 17 years,” Mr Baker said.

“Clearly he has stayed out of serious trouble for many, many years.”

Green said “I’m sorry” as he was led away to begin his sentence. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Speaking outside court, Detective Constable Scott Westbrook-Smith said: “The courage shown by the victim has been immense and I’m pleased that after all this time we’ve finally been able to convict the man responsible.

“This sends a powerful message to anyone who’s committed a serious sexual offence which to this date remains unsolved – your dark secret will not stay hidden forever and through the advancements in DNA testing it’s only a matter of time before you get a knock at your door which you hoped would never come.”

The force is continuing to review about 39 unsolved rape cases and 29 unsolved murders.

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