Victims sob as ‘arrogant and manipulative’ child rapist is jailed for 22 years


A “selfish, arrogant, manipulative paedophile” has been jailed for 22 years for the horrific sexual abuse of three young girls.
Child rapist Karl Rugg, 54, was told he may serve his entire sentence unless the parole board deem it is safe to release him earlier.
He is still protesting his innocence despite his conviction by a jury of 15 counts of child sexual abuse, including three rapes, after a ten-day trial at Hull Crown Court.
Rugg left the dock with the sobs of his victims ringing in his ears, as they hugged each other in the public gallery on hearing Judge Mark Bury jail their tormentor for 22 years.
Although he was never charged with a further allegation of raping one of the victims while she was pregnant, the judge told Rugg he was “satisfied on the evidence” that he had done it.
Judge Bury contrasted the dignity with which the victims had given evidence with Rugg’s arrogance, telling him: “You came across as a selfish, arrogant, manipulative paedophile.”
The judge also told Rugg he had “corrupted” the girls and “blighted their lives and you don’t care”.
That was after harrowing victim statements were read to the court by prosecutor Kitty Colley, including a 45-minute video recording one had made with a police officer.
One of the victims said she had tried to kill herself as a girl, only for a relative to “save me by cutting a tie from around my neck”.
The woman said as a result of the abuse she had left school with no qualifications and “couldn’t deal with people”.
“I couldn’t have normal relationships with friends or family,” she said.
She also said: “I used to cut myself with scissors only to make pain so that I could feel something. I find that I can’t hold relationships down. My relationships definitely suffered from it.
“I can’t show how I feel unless I’m angry. I can’t be intimate properly. I don’t know how.
“When I heard the trial was coming up I was really scared. I felt no one would believe me. It brought all the emotion back to me.
“The fact he was doing this to me, making me explain it to people I didn’t know in court.”
Another victim said: “I don’t know if I will ever be normal. I can’t find happiness; I just feel this very heavy burden. I suffer from extreme anxiety and depression. I feel like I will always be like this.”
The other victim said after 14 of the guilty verdicts were delivered on Thursday: “Today is the first day I have woken up happy, relieved and content.”
The victims were aged between five and 15 at the time of the abuse.
Rugg, of Prickett Road, Bridlington, was convicted of three counts of rape, three attempted rapes, five indecent assaults, two sexual assaults of a child under 13, and two offences of sexual activity with a child.
An adult had called one of the victims “a disgrace to society”, but Judge Bury told the court if they wanted to see a disgrace to society they “should look in the mirror”.
Rugg must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.