Llanrwst pub landlord jailed for 24 years for sexually abusing four girls


A pub landlord who sexually abused four girls over three decades was today jailed for 24 years.
Carl Alan Martin, 58, of the Red Lion in Llanrwst, had denied 18 offences, including one count of rape, when he stood trial at Mold Crown Court in March.
The charges related to offences against four different children who were all under the age of 13 on various dates between the late 1980s until the early 2000s.
Martin was acquitted of two charges of indecency with a child and another of indecent assault.
But the jury found him guilty of 15 offences and sentence had been adjourned until today for reports.
Sentencing Judge Rhys Rowlands said Martin had shown no contrition or remorse.
“The trial does not make these offences more serious but there can’t be any reduction in the length of the sentence I am about to impose as there would have been had you pleaded guilty.
“Having read the pre-sentence report and heard you at the trial I see no evidence of contrition or remorse on your part.
“Quite the opposite you sought to prolong matters by standing trial and maintained your denials.
“There are four victims who were very young when abused by you.
“It is a testament to their character that now, as grown women, they gave evidence before the jury in a measured and impressive way.”
The judge added the abuse they had suffered had impacted on their lives and in a Victim Personal Statement one of them said she had been left an “emotional wreck”.
“They have had to live with what you did to them as children while you moved on and lived your life as if nothing had happened.
“Their evidence, accepted by the jury, demonstrates over a period of time you took away their innocence and indeed much of their childhoods,” the judge said.
The judge told Martin he would have to serve two thirds of the sentence before being eligible for parole and would have to spend an additional three year extended licence period.
Banned from working with children and vulnerable adults, Martin must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Defence counsel Nerida Hartford-Bell referred to the character references heard by the jury and reminded the judge the defendant had no previous convictions.
There was no evidence, she added, that there had been any further offending in the past 15 or 16 years.
The judge agreed there was a different side to Martin’s character.
During the trial prosecutor Matthew Curtis told the jury there were “similarities to the defendant’s pattern of offending” and that Martin had “constructed opportunities to be alone with them separately”.
The jury heard there were “clear memories that stuck in her mind” of one of the victims although other victims recollections were described as “sketchy”.
Although Martin’s actions were reported by the victims to friends and family at the time it was not until years later that the matters were reported to police.
Martin claimed the offences “simply did not happen” and denied ever touching the complainants inappropriately.