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Home Sittingbourne News Article
A delivery driver has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting nine victims across several counties over 13 years.
Darren Jeffries, 48, of Sittingbourne, committed more than 80 offences in total.
His youngest victim was just two years old, Guildford Crown Court was told.
Now, a jury of four men and eight women has convicted Jeffries, of Roonagh Court to a string of crimes committted in his home town.
These include a sexual assault against a 16-year-old in May 2008; two abductions of a 15-year-old girl between March 2009 and April 2010; two counts of grooming a girl, 15, between March 2009 and April 2010 and four counts of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl between March 2009 and April 2010.
His conviction follows a previous trial in October last year, when he was found guilty of 11 serious sexual offences of rape and gross indecency against a girl aged between five and 17.
They include five counts of rape and six counts of gross indecency - all committed in Kent.
"He had no moral boundaries, abusing whoever he had a predilection towards and actively seeking out young girls on the internet to groom" - DCI Juliet Parker
In total, Jeffries committed more than 80 offences against nine victims aged between two and 17 years old, across numerous counties, over a period of 13 years.
The true extent of his catalogue of crime only became clear when Surrey police heard of his attempts to groom a 14-year-old schoolgirl in the Surrey Heath area of Surrey.
When police arrested him they uncovered seven mobile phones which revealed around 1,000 indecent images and videos, including extreme footage of very young children and bestiality.
Detective Chief Inspector Juliet Parker of the Surrey Police public protection unit said: "The verdicts today reflect the truly sickening nature of Jeffries' crimes.
"He had no moral boundaries, abusing whoever he had a predilection towards and actively seeking out young girls on the internet to groom.
"A dedicated team of officers has spent nearly a year tracing victims and putting together the cases which have successfully brought Jeffries to justice."
Jon Brown, head of sexual abuse prevention at NSPCC: "This is a shocking case and clearly this individual is extremely dangerous and thankfully will now face a sentence that reflects the seriousness of his crimes.
"It's going to be absolutely crucial that victims of these horrific offences are offered the help and therapy that they will need to help them get over what happened.
"It's also important he is locked up for long enough to ensure he receives treatment aimed at reducing his high level of sexual risk to young people and children."
