A man who raped and sexually abused a child on multiple occasions has been jailed – more than 20 years after his campaign of abuse had started.
Richard Tung, now aged 42, was reported to police in 2022 when his victim came forward to report what had happened to him as a young child.
Tung, who committed the offences as an adult, targeted the boy at addresses in South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.
When he was first interviewed in June 2023, he denied the allegations against him and even claimed to have been subjected to inappropriate sexualised behaviour from his victim.
During a video-recorded interview with officers, the victim gave a compelling account of the abuse he had suffered and the very serious toll it had taken on his mental health.
Despite the lack of any physical evidence, detectives were able to build a very compelling case against Tung and corroborate key parts of his testimony.
Of significance were the independent and previously confidential disclosures made by the victim to a mental health counsellor and to friends and family.
Tung continued to plead his innocence throughout a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in January of this year, after which he was found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, two counts of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a boy.
Appearing at the same venue on April 17, Tung, from the Caernarfon area in Wales, was jailed for 12 years.
Detective Sergeant Lee Myatt, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Like many victims of childhood sexual abuse, the victim in this case came slowly to the realisation that what had happened to him was not a normal part of childhood.
“It was in fact sexual abuse of the most serious nature committed against a child by a grown man.
“As he begins a very long jail sentence, I hope this case serves as a reminder for other victims of non-recent abuse that it really is never too late to come forward and report what happened to you.”
