By James Simons-
A man who raped and sexually assaulted two young girls and filmed the assaults has today been jailed for 16 years. 44-year-old Melvin Miller (pictured) from Merseyside, sexually assaulted and raped two young girls on several occasions over a period of two years.
After one of the girls spoke of the abuse to a friend, the friend told her parents and her teacher and the police were called in. Miller denied the charges but officers from Merseyside police discovered explicit video footage of him raping and sexually abusing both girls on two computer hard drives that belonged to him, despite denials from him.They also found 140,000 images of children being abused – the largest number to have been discovered to date on Merseyside.
At a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing on 6 April 2020, Miller pleaded guilty to all 35 counts on the indictment. The hearing which was conducted by Skype due to the Coronavirus restrictions meant that the advocates and the defendant could not be together at court. The only people in the court room at Liverpool Crown Court were the Judge and the court clerk.
The advocates logged onto the hearing from home and the defendant appeared via video link from prison.
Today (29 April 2020) at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Neil Flewitt jailed Miller for 16 years and he will be put on the Sex Offenders’ register for life.
Today’s proceedings were also conducted via Skype, with the advocates logging on away from the court room, the Judge sitting in the court and the defendant appearing via video link from prison.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Mairead Neeson of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: “This has been a very disturbing case to work on. The video footage that formed a key part of this case was really distressing.
“Miller’s offending has shocked those who are experienced in this type of criminality.
“I would like to thank Merseyside Police for their painstaking help in bringing this man to justice. Miller abused these girls for his own sexual gratification with no thought for the distress, confusion and trauma he was causing them.
“These were children, dragged into an adult world that they clearly didn’t understand and caused them a great deal of suffering.
“Miller is a prolific paedophile and the Crown Prosecution Service has worked hard to bring him to justice.
“The current Covid-19 lockdown has meant that we and our partners in the Criminal Justice System have had to employ new methods to bring this man before the courts.
“The mother of one of the victims asked the Judge if she could attend the sentencing hearing in person and this was agreed to, bearing in mind the social distancing regulations.
“Despite the difficulties of the current situation, justice has been done and Melvin Miller is now behind bars for a long time.”