Christopher Todd has been jailed for four years for raping a young boy in Darlington

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was raped and sexually assaulted on two separate occasion when he was either aged between ten and 11 by Christopher Todd.

This morning, the 31-year-old heard the devastating impact his actions had on the life of his victim.

In a powerful personal statement, the man said his relationship with his parents and friends had been significantly impacted as a result of the sexual abuse he suffered at his hands.

He said: “I would like to talk about the years of emotional abuse this man has caused me, the years of shame and guilt that I have struggled to endure.

“The countless times I have asked myself ‘why didn’t you stop that happening’ and ‘why did you let that happen’ – the nightmares I have suffered replaying the events in my mind over and over, fantasising about doing something different about the attacks.”

Todd, of Grangeside, Darlington, continues to deny any responsibility for his actions, the court heard from his counsel Christine Egerton.

Christopher Todd

During the week-long trial at Teesside Crown Court, the jury heard how the young boy was attacked while he was playing on a PlayStation in the Darlington home of the defendant, who was a teenager at the time.

The court heard how a shock meeting between the pair in Darlington's B&M in April 2019 brought back horrendous memories for the victim and he attacked Todd in the car park.

Judge James Brown said: “I find that he still lives with the impact of your behaviour all those years ago and I find the impact to be profound.”