Pramod Dhakal abused his position in the community to rape and molest young girls
A “trusted” member of Peterborough’s Nepalese community has been jailed for abusing seven girls and a woman, including one victim in London, police say. Pramod Dhakal’s position of authority, which included carrying out religious ceremonies, gave him “trusted access to a number of young females”, Cambridge Crown Court heard. The youngest girl he raped was just eight-years-old.
The 49-year-old, of Grange Road, Peterborough, was found guilty of 25 sexual offences and jailed for 25 years, with an extended period on licence of eight years. The offences included five counts of rape of a child under 13 and two of rapes of a child over 13.
While the majority of his offending took place in Peterborough, one victim was abused in London, the court was told.
Prosecutor Claire Matthews said one of the rape victims described Dhakal as a “second father”, but “remembers the feeling of helplessness” and said he “told her it won’t take long”, reports BBC News. In her victim impact statement, she said the “emotional manipulation silenced me for years”, adding that “he taught me the truth would do more harm than good”.
The court heard from several victims who described the lifelong impact of Dhakal’s heinous offences, with several reporting mental breakdowns. Dhakal, who had no previous convictions, continues to deny his guilt and was accused of “victim blaming” in his pre-sentence report.
Det Con Phillipa Mallett, who was commended by the judge for her investigation, said: “This case highlights that no matter when the abuse happened or when you feel comfortable to share your story with the police, we take reports of this nature extremely seriously.
“I hope this outcome brings closure to the survivors of Dhakal’s abuse. I commend them on their bravery for coming forward and potentially stopping further children being exploited.”
Dhakal was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and given a restraining order preventing him from contacting all eight of his victims for the same timeframe.
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