A TATTOOIST has been jailed for raping a child after his victim used a mobile phone to record a conversation with him 20 years after the incidents.

William Walker, 50, of Princess Drive, Colchester was found guilty of one count of raping a girl under the age of 16 and seven counts of indecent assault against the same victim by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court.

On Friday, February 8, Walker was sentenced to a total of nine years.

The court heard that all the offences occurred in Colchester between 1984 and 1989. The incidents began when the victim was aged five and continued until the age of 11.

In July 2010 the victim confronted Walker about the abuse and recorded their conversation on an iPhone in her pocket. The phone was later handed to police and a formal investigation began.

DS Kerry Hackett of the Essex Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit said: “It takes an immense amount of courage for victims of sexual abuse to speak out. In this case the victim had the great presence of mind to use a mobile phone to record the conversation when she confronted Walker about the incident.

“Hopefully the sentence handed down by the court in this case will send a message to victims that we will treat your case with sensitivity and will punish those responsible for this terrible crime. The message to abusers is that no matter how many years ago you committed your crimes we will still seek to prosecute you and bring you to justice. I would encourage all victims of sexual abuse to come forward to police.”