A man who was found guilty of raping a young boy when he was a teenager has been sentenced to three years in prison.

George Chinnery, of Anne of Cleves Road in Dartford, Kent, was previously convicted of one count of raping a boy under the age of 13, and one count of inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The verdict was delivered at St Albans Crown Court on December 8, 2021, after the jury deliberated for five hours and 37 minutes.

On Monday (January 31), Chinnery appeared again in court to be sentenced for his crimes.

The court heard how the 22-year-old, who was 14 at the time of his offending, orally raped the victim when they were alone together during the school holidays in 2013. He also forced the victim to touch him inappropriately.

The victim, who was aged eight, lived in the Welwyn Hatfield area of Hertfordshire.

He did not feel able to disclose the abuse to anyone until the summer of 2020 when he told a close family member what had happened.

Detective Constable Laurence Harwood, from Herts police's Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “The victim, in this case, has suffered unimaginably due to Chinnery’s abhorrent actions, and it has negatively impacted his mental health for nearly ten years.

“Following support from mental health practitioners, in mid-2020 the victim finally felt able to tell someone he trusted about what Chinnery had done to him.

“However, the defendant denied all the allegations, meaning the victim was subjected to cross-examination by the defence during the seven-day trial.

“This, understandably, caused him and his family an indescribable amount of emotional distress but they showed nothing but honesty, dignity and true emotion throughout.

“My team and I have been humbled by the victim’s courage and we hope this result will enable him to have closure, so he can move forward and rebuild his life.

“Chinnery has never shown any remorse for his perverted crimes.

“We will always do everything we can to convict perpetrators and support victims of child sexual abuse. While we are pleased to have achieved this result today, it sadly does not lessen the effect of the trauma suffered by the victim in the wake of the abuse he endured.

"I wish him and his family all the very best for the future, and I hope they can find some peace.”

Chinnery will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and has been ordered to not go within five miles of the victim’s home. On his release, he will remain on licence for seven years.

Anyone in Hertfordshire who has experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence can contact the Herts Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for practical and emotional support. The centre can arrange face-to-face support, sexual health referrals, and provide forensic medical examinations for those who want them.

To contact Herts SARC, call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 178 4448, email Herts.SARC@nhs.net or visit www.hertssarc.org.

This service is available to everyone – no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.