Southampton man sentenced to 13 years in prison for child sex offences

A 25-year-old man from Southampton has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of a number of child sex offences.

Dalton Wills, formally of Chettle Road, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 31 August), having been found guilty by a jury in July of four counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of rape and one count of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. 



He had previously pleaded guilty to two further counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual communications with a child and two counts of possessing indecent images of a child (category A and C).

The court heard how Wills sexually assaulted the victim shortly after meeting her when she was 12 years old.  It also heard how he went on to rape her when she was 13 and continued to commit a number of other sexual offences against her.

A judge has now sentenced Wills to 13 years in prison as well as imposing an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has also been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Marie Leather, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Operation Amberstone unit, which specialises in investigating reports of rape, said: “We are pleased with this result, which means that Wills will now face the consequences of his predatory and unthinkable actions. I sincerely hope that this sentence helps the victim gain some closure and begin to move forward with her life.

“I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in reporting this matter to the police and for the courage she has shown throughout the criminal justice process, without which we would not have secured this outcome.

“We take all allegations of sexual abuse and rape extremely seriously, and we have specially trained teams that can investigate these kinds of offences and provide support to victims. If you have experienced these kinds of offences we can make a commitment to you that you will be heard and listened to, and your report will be believed. We are determined to put victims first and relentlessly pursue offenders, especially when investigating these kinds of cases”

If you have been affected by child sexual abuse you can contact police on 101 and speak to a police officer in confidence.

We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there are support services available that can help you if you are a victim of abuse.

Anyone who has experienced abuse in childhood or is concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline confidentially on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

You can also visit our website for further information about support services near you: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/