Teenager jailed for sexual offences at nursery in Devon
Jayden McCarthy has today (23 July) been handed a 14-and-a-half-year jail sentence for his crimes at Jack and Jill Nursery
A former nursery apprentice who abused young children in his care in Torquay has today (23 July) been handed a 14-and-a-half-year jail sentence.
Following a nine-day trial at Exeter Crown Court in May, 18-year-old Jayden McCarthy was found guilty on all counts in the case.
He was previously charged in connection with allegations of 14 sexual offences at Jack and Jill Nursery in Torquay during July 2019.
Charges were brought against McCarthy in December 2019 after an initial disclosure was made by a child at the nursery.
McCarthy was also found guilty of two further historic offences of rape, which are not connected with the nursery.
McCarthy was found guilty of 16 offences by a jury on Friday 28 May. He was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court today (23 July) by Judge Evans to serve 14-and-a-half-years.
Detective Chief Inspector James Stock, from the Public Protection Unit said: "This has been an emotionally challenging and incredibly complex case, in part, due to the ages of all involved.
"I’d like to thank the young children and the families who have been involved in this case for their support and cooperation over many, many months. I also commend the work of the police investigation team, partner agencies and CPS prosecution counsel for their commitment and detailed work over the past two years."
Detective Chief Inspector James Stock - Public Protection Unit
As soon as concerns were raised, Torbay’s Safeguarding Partnership commissioned an independent review and the key findings will be published at the earliest opportunity.
WATCH: Ben Samples, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the South-West, talk about the Jayden McCarthy trial
Steve Hart, Chair of the review panel, said: "This is a very sad case and our thoughts and best wishes go to everybody who has been directly or indirectly affected.
"As soon as this matter came to light, Torbay’s Safeguarding Partnership commissioned an independent review that is being led by a fully qualified and experienced practitioner and manager in the field, Sarah Lawrence, who is supported by a multi-disciplinary team.
"Due to the legal restrictions associated with the criminal trial it has not yet been possible for the review to be completed, although significant progress has already been made.
"Now that a verdict has been reached, Sarah Lawrence will immediately resume work on the outstanding matters and the review will be published in due course.
"Once completed, the review will enable the partnership to understand the specific detail of what has happened and to learn and implement any lessons that have arisen so that we can all work to continue to safeguard and protect the children of Torbay. The key findings of this review will be published at the earliest opportunity."
Steve Hart - Chair of the Review Panel
The cases at Torquay's now closed Jack and Jill Nursery only came to light when one of the young victims told their parents.
The parents contacted police a short time later to report what their daughter had disclosed.
The court heard McCarthy took the girl into the toilet area of the nursery to change her clothing as she had been playing in water.
Staff went to check on McCarthy after noticing that he had been in the toilet with the girl for longer than expected and he told them he was struggling to put her dress on.
Exeter Crown Court previously heard that there were no safeguarding concerns about McCarthy until a girl who attended the nursery reported to her parents that he had raped her. He was suspended "there and then".
Read more:
Former nursery apprentice found guilty of abusing young children at Torquay nursery
McCarthy successfully applied for a job at the nursery as an apprentice assistant in early 2019, providing references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
During the course of his employment, he underwent further training, including on safeguarding children.
An investigation into McCarthy was launched after the girl’s allegation of rape was reported to police.
There was no CCTV footage of the incident but police officers examined 250 hours of recordings from the site.