Child rapist from Swansea given 25-year sentence

A man from Swansea has been given a 25-year jail sentence after he was found guilty of the historic rape of two girls under the age of 16.

57-year-old David Lake, from Llansamlet, carried out repeated attacks on the two girls, who are now adults.

In April, Lake was found guilty of one count of rape of a female under 16, four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 years, one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years of age, and one count of attempt to indecently assault a girl under the age of 16.

He has today been sentenced to 25 years in prison. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Sioned Davies said:

“It took an unbelievable amount of strength and courage for David Lake’s victims to confide to someone else about the crimes he carried out upon them, especially with so many years having passed in-between.

“This was a long and complex investigation which has finally resulted in David Lake being brought to justice, and the severity of his offending is reflected in the size of his sentence.

“David Lake’s attacks on the victims were only stopped when he went to jail for a separate matter. With this sentence, we hope that his offending has now been stopped for good.”

We never underestimate how difficult it is for survivors of sexual abuse to speak out and report.

But we hope cases like this one provide reassurance that victims will be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, and will be supported throughout the judicial process.

If you have been sexually abused, and you are not yet ready to report to police, please don’t suffer in silence. A wealth of information and details of support services can be found here.