Newport man jailed for sexual assault of schoolgirl in 1997
A 13-year-old was attacked as she walked home from the library on a footpath near Blackwood
A man has been jailed for eight years for sexually assaulting a schoolgirl nearly three decades ago.
Richard Downey, now 55, attacked the 13-year-old as she walked home from the library on September 23 1997, on a footpath near Blackwood, Caerphilly, South Wales.
Downey, of Llandevaud, Newport, was not identified until a DNA match in 2022 led to his arrest.
At Newport Crown Court on Friday, Judge Daniel Williams said it was clear Downey thought he would never be caught and described him as "arrogant beyond measure".
The court heard Downey, who was 26 at the time, pushed the girl, who was wearing her school uniform, to the ground and covered her mouth with his hands.
While armed with a screwdriver, he groped the girl and restrained her as he masturbated.
After a struggle, the girl escaped his grasp and ran away. A report was made to police the same day.
A DNA sample of semen was recovered from the girl's shoe but could not be matched at the time.
However, a forensic breakthrough in 2022 led to Downey being identified and arrested.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim said: "The attack lasted only a few minutes but the impact on me has lasted a lifetime.
"I never thought my attacker would be brought to justice and, now he has, I can draw a line under this."
A jury found him guilty of two counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.
Downey was sentenced to eight years in prison with an extended licence period of two years.
Sentencing, Judge Williams said: "This attack was not spontaneous at all.
"The fact is that you armed yourself with a screwdriver and you must have been lying in wait to find your victim, a victim who had to be alone, who you intended to terrorise.
"It's clear you never thought that you would be caught.
"You are wholly unburdened by guilt and you are arrogant beyond measure."
Catherine Miles, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Richard Downey subjected a child to an appalling and frightening sexual assault as she walked home from a library.
"He might have thought that after all these years he could get away with his crime, but DNA evidence presented at trial was able to prove that he was in fact the culprit.
"His sentence today shows that the Crown Prosecution Service is committed to bringing offenders to justice, when the legal test to do so is met, regardless of the passage of time.
"We hope that knowing her attacker has finally been brought to justice gives the victim some comfort."
Lauren Griffin, of Gwent Police, said: "I hope this sends a powerful message to anyone who's committed a sexual offence which remains unsolved - the advancements in technology and the dedication of our officers means it's only a matter of time before you get a knock at your door.
"For nearly three decades, the victim in this case has had to live with knowing the man who attacked her had not been identified and could still be out there. But thanks to her bravery and resolve, he is now rightly behind bars."