A 22-year-old man, Connor Chard, has been sentenced to prison after admitting to a series of sexual offences against two young girls in Yeovil, which began when the victims were just seven years old.
Chard pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault by penetration of a child under 13, involving two children. The offences spanned from 2019 to 2024 and occurred at various addresses in Yeovil.
At Taunton Crown Court, presided over by His Honour Judge Cook, it was revealed that Chard repeatedly abused one child over several years, while the second victim was assaulted on a single occasion and spoke out shortly after the incident.
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Both girls showed remarkable courage in reporting the abuse independently, which led to Chard’s arrest and prosecution.
Statements from the victims’ mothers highlighted the devastating impact the crimes have had on their children and families. The mother of the first victim described how the abuse shattered her daughter’s world, saying: “It is hard to quantify the psychological effect this has had. You didn’t just harm her in a single moment – you changed how she saw the world. A child should feel safe, and because of your actions, that sense of safety was taken away from someone so innocent, happy, and outgoing. You made a choice; my child did not.”
The second mother echoed these sentiments, stating: “Our daughter has had a huge part of her childhood completely ruined. What every other family takes for granted has been stolen from us… No child should feel permanently vulnerable, and no mother should feel so helpless to protect their daughter.”
Detective Constable Kerrie Paxton praised the bravery of the victims and confirmed that Chard posed a significant threat to young girls in the community. She said, “Chard was an opportunist who took advantage of children he encountered in homes he visited, posing a danger to young girls. Both victims showed tremendous strength in coming forward independently. Thanks to their courage, justice has been served.”
Connor Chard was sentenced to four years in prison, plus an additional one-year licence extension upon release. He was also given a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to restrict his contact with children.