A LORRY driver who raped and sexually assaulted four children during a campaign of “utterly appalling” abuse is starting a 24-year jail sentence.

Christopher Murray, 63, who lived in Risca and Caldicot, committed a catalogue of offences after attacking three girls and a boy during the 1990s.

Some of the abuse had taken place when he was drunk and had made his victims watch adult pornography.

The boy was assaulted in the lorry cab Murray used while working as a HGV driver delivering frozen food.

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His victims revealed the horror of what they endured when prosecutor Ruth Smith read out harrowing impact statements during his sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court.

One stated that Murray’s crimes had a “hugely damaging” impact on her life and she described feeling at times that she would be “better off dead”.

Another said: “I felt I was completely robbed of my childhood.”

Murray, more recently of Heol Llansantffraid, Sarn, Bridgend pleaded guilty to multiple offences which included rape, indecent assault and gross indecency with a child.

Miss Smith outlined that the defendant was no stranger to the attentions of Gwent Police.

The paedophile was jailed for child sex offences at the beginning of this century.

He was sent to prison for four years in November 2001 for indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Monmouthshire.

That sentence was imposed just months after he was locked up for 18 months for indecently assaulting another underage girl.

In 1985 Murray was made the subject of a probation order after had he indecently assaulted a nine-year-old girl in the Bettws area of Newport.

Matthew Roberts representing him said his client’s best mitigation was his guilty pleas.

This, his barrister stressed, had spared the victims being “put through the mill” of a trial.

“The defendant has insight into what he has done – there is remorse,” Mr Roberts added.

Judge Victoria Francis told Murray: “This was a litany of offending against children.

“It was utterly appalling.

“You offended time and time and time again.”

  • Gwent Police have been contacted for a mugshot of the defendant