Hartlepool pervert left one of his victims suicidal

Mark Sorby’s catalogue of abuse left one of his victim’s so traumatised that she attempted to take her own life.

The 45-year-old persuaded his victims to remain quiet about the abuse even after one of them made complaints and was not believed.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said that one girl “is self-harming, and she cuts her arms and legs” and she had been inhaling aerosols.

Another girl is being home-educated, suffers panic attacks and she was scared to leave the house.

He said Sorby also sexually abused a third girl for over four years, and she had attempted suicide as a result of her ordeal.

Mark Sorby. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICE

One of the victims appeared in court to speak of the impact Sorby’s abuse had on her. She said: “I have nightmares about what Mark did to me and have previously tried to kill myself.

"This traumatic ordeal has affected my full life. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted and no one deserves not to be believed.”

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Sorby, of Ettrick Walk, Hartlepool, was convicted after a nine-day trial of sex offences against three girls, one of whom attempted suicide, another missed three years of schooling, and a third could not be in a class with a male teacher and had to have a woman doctor.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said that Sorby had no previous convictions but the fact that he had a trial had reduced his mitigation.

He added: “Whilst there are aspects of physical force involved, there are no threats of physical violence.”

Judge Howard Crowson locked Sorby up for 25 years and ordered that he must also serve two years and six months on extended licence once he is deemed safe for release.

He added: "You are quite obviously a predatory paedophile. You are entirely to blame.

"The offences were carefully carried out so you would not bring suspicion on yourself. You clearly have caused a great deal of harm.”

Speaking after the sentencing heraring, Stephen McDonnell of Cleveland Police’s Children and Vulnerable Adult unit (CAVA) said: “My first thoughts are with the four victims who suffered despicable sexual abuse at the hands of a predatory man who was someone they should have been able to trust and feel safe with.

“All these children have shown tremendous courage firstly in speaking out about the sickening abuse, and then participating in the subsequent police investigation.

“The children, their parents and families have also demonstrated an admirable amount of patience and restraint throughout the police investigation and criminal justice process, and I’d like to thank them for that.

“I welcome today’s sentence and although it won’t change what happened to the victims of these deplorable crimes, I hope it will provide some comfort to them and their families in that justice has been served and that they may be able to start moving on with their lives.”

Safeguarding CAVA Chief Inspector Deb Fenny, added: “We all welcome the lengthy prison sentence given to Sorby, and it’s reassuring that he’ll also face severe restrictions and monitoring after his prison term.

“Our team works tirelessly to bring to justice those who believe they can target vulnerable youngsters, while our specially trained officers support victims and their families from the moment of reporting, right through the legal process.

“I’d urge anyone who has suffered abuse, whether recent or non-recent, to report to Cleveland Police via the 101 number if they feel able to. We will listen to you, we will believe you, and we will support you.”

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