Man jailed for 'deviant' sexual abuse of three child victims

Dean Mountain, 53, was in his 30s when he carried out the "very, very serious campaign of child sex abuse" against his victims, who were all under 13 at the time of the offending, between 1989 and 2004.

Mountain, appeared at Norwich Crown Court to be sentenced having been convicted of eight counts of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child following a trial at King's Lynn Crown Court earlier this year.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)

Mountain, who now lives in Kent but was previously from Thetford, was given an extended 22 year sentence, made up of 14 years custody and eight years on licence.

Dean Mountain (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

Judge Andrew Shaw said Mountain had abused children to satisfy his own "deviant sexual appetite" with the defendant doing so "whenever you could and wherever you could".

Judge Andrew Shaw (Image: Newsquest)

Before Mountain was sentenced on Friday (July 14) Philip Farr, prosecuting, read out statements from two of the victims, who Judge Shaw said, had "suffered severe psychological harm".

One of the victims said Mountain "stole my childhood" and felt the defendant had "taken a part of me that I will never get back".

Another victim said she was still suffering from the effects of the abuse she endured 30 years ago.

She said she was "afraid of the dark", has been left "terrified" and "still has nightmares and wakes up crying".

The victim said she suffered panic attacks as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and has had feelings that "I don't want to be around anymore".

Johnathan Goodman, representing Mountain, said prior to this offending the defendant has been "of good character".

He said the strongest mitigation was that following the last of the offences he had not offended in more than 20 years.

Mountain was also put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).