Paedophile jailed for 20 years after pressuring victims to stay silent

Mark Shephard's abuse dated back more than a decade.
By Henry Green
A ‘calculating and manipulative’ Nottinghamshire paedophile groomed and abused two girls before pressuring them to stay silent.
Mark Shephard, 61, came to the attention of Nottinghamshire Police in December 2021 when his victims confided in other people.
Shephard’s victims bravely gave evidence as they gave detailed accounts of assaults that took place in Nottinghamshire for over a decade.
Nottinghamshire Police say Shephard had abused them on multiple occasions before pressuring them to remain silent.
When he was interviewed by detectives in April 2022, Shephard denied the allegations and claimed his victims were making them up.
At Nottingham Crown Court last week, he pleaded not guilty but was found guilty on Friday of one count of rape, three counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of assault by touching.
He was also found guilty of causing a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity.
Shephard, formerly of Hutton Street, Sneinton, was immediately jailed for 20 years.
Detective Sergeant Hayley Denoon said: “Shephard committed a serious of heinous sexual assaults on primary school aged girls who were too young even to understand what he was doing to them.
“Their accounts were measured and powerful and in stark contrast to the increasingly desperate lies of a calculating and manipulative paedophile.
“I am pleased for them that he will now spend a very long time in prison, and hope this result provides each of them with some degree of comfort moving forward.”
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