A child rapist from Amesbury has been handed a lengthy prison sentence.
Gabriel Philip Chirwa denied sexually abusing a girl aged under 13 – but was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court in December 2024.
The 38-year-old raped the victim over a two-year period before she plucked up the courage to tell her mother what had happened in 2022.
In a statement, the victim said: “He had made me completely disgusted with myself, I was so young. I ask myself why me?
“Now, I’m not doing as bad, but my life is still a massive mess three years later.
“You never cared. I hope you will care when I am free to live the life that you can’t.”
Today (Friday), the defendant, of Holders Road, Amesbury, was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of four years.
He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely, which will forbid him from any contact with the victim and from having any unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16.
DC Fiona Rawlings of the Child Abuse Investigation Team at Wiltshire Police said: “Firstly, I want to pay tribute to the victim for her courage and bravery that she has shown.
“It must have been extremely difficult for her to report the abuse in the first place, and she has shown incredible bravery throughout the process, which has taken more than two years.
“I appreciate the toll that the abuse and the subsequent police investigation and court process has had on her and her mental health and I recognise that impact of it will take a long time to heal. Hopefully today’s sentencing can bring an element of closure and she can look to move forward.
“Without her continued assistance, today’s outcome would not have been possible.
“I’d also like to thank the victim’s mother for her support throughout the process.
“Chirwa is an incredibly dangerous offender who has shown absolutely no remorse despite the horrendous abuse he inflicted on a young girl.
“His continuous denial of the offences forced the victim to relive the experiences through a trial, requiring her statement to be played to the court, adding to the trauma he had already inflicted.
“I’m pleased he will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars.”
