Amesbury man jailed for 18 years for child sex offences
38 year old Gabriel Philip Chirwa has been sentenced today (4th April)
An Amesbury man's been jailed for 18 years, after being found guilty of multiple child sex offences, including rape.
38 year old Gabriel Philip Chirwa, from Holders Road, has been sentenced at Winchester Crown Court today (Friday 4th April).
A jury convicted him in December of four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The victim in the offences was under 13.
As well as his prison sentence, Chirwa will be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, forbidding from any contact with the victim, or unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16.
The incidents were reported to Wiltshire Police in August 2022, after the victim bravely reported the abuse – which took place over a two-year period – to her mother.
In a Personal Statement, which we are releasing with the victim’s approval, the victim said: “He had made me completely disgusted with myself, I was so young. I ask myself why me?
“Now, I'm not doing as bad, but my life is still a massive mess three years later.
"You Chirwa never cared. I hope you will care when I am free to live the life that you can't.”
Speaking after the sentencing, DC Fiona Rawlings of the Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Firstly, I want to pay tribute to the victim for her courage and bravery that she has shown.
“It must have been extremely difficult for her to report the abuse in the first place, and she has shown incredible bravery throughout the process, which has taken more than two years.
“I appreciate the toll that the abuse and the subsequent police investigation and court process has had on her and her mental health and I recognise that impact of it will take a long time to heal. Hopefully today’s sentencing can bring an element of closure and she can look to move forward.
“Without her continued assistance, today’s outcome would not have been possible.
“I’d also like to thank the victim’s mother for her support throughout the process.
“Chirwa is an incredibly dangerous offender who has shown absolutely no remorse despite the horrendous abuse he inflicted on a young girl.
“His continuous denial of the offences forced the victim to relive the experiences through a trial, requiring her statement to be played to the court, adding to the trauma he had already inflicted.
“I’m pleased he will now spend a substantial amount of time behind bars."