Victim speaks out as Luton paedophile sentenced to 12 years behind bars

A victim of child sexual abuse has described how she struggled to come to terms with her ordeal after the Luton man responsible was jailed for 12 years.

Paedophile Patrick Costelloe, 57, sexually abused her on several occasions when she was around seven or eight between 2004 and 2006.

Years later she found the courage to tell a family member about the abuse. In a victim impact statement read out in court, she said: “Whenever I think about what happened, I feel scared, dirty and lost. I’ve isolated myself, avoided interaction with others and missed out on doing things most teenagers and young adults would normally do.”

She explained: “For 20 years, I have had to live with what happened to me. It has affected all aspects of my life and I’ve hidden it for so long that I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Police also received a report from another victim who had been sexually abused by Costelloe in 2006 at the age of nine.

She described in her victim impact statement that she tried to put the memories and nightmares in a box out of her mind, but as an adult understands what happened to her and has found it hard to deal with.

Costelloe, of Chesford Road, Luton, was found guilty of indecent assault, attempted rape and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity after a five-day trial at Luton Crown Court. He was sentenced to 12 years on March 16. Costelloe was handed a lifetime notification requirement and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Natalie Miller from Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said she was pleased that Costelloe received a lengthy sentence “after he thought it was acceptable to take advantage of, sexually abuse and inflict pain and trauma on two young girls in the way that he did”.

DC Miller said: “Although his sentence can’t take away what they have been through, I hope it is of some condolence to them and they are able to move forward with their lives.”

She urged others who have experienced similar abuse to com forward – no matter when the office happened. She explained: “Abusive behaviour is rarely a one-off – it may well be that many victims are being abused or exploited by the same person, and reports from one victim can start the process of serial abusers being put behind bars.”

If you have concerns about child sexual abuse or you have been a victim, you can report it to Bedfordshire Police by calling 101 or online here. Call 999 in an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger.