Neil King: Callous Rotherham paedophile who abused vulnerable girls shows no remorse
A depraved Rotherham paedophile who ‘targeted, sexualised and degraded’ vulnerable girls in the town has been condemned for not showing ‘one ounce of remorse,’ after he was brought to justice for his wicked crimes.
Callous Neil King appeared emotionless, both as he was sent to begin a 21-year prison sentence for 17 serious historic sexual offences - including two counts of rape - and as the continuing devastation he has caused the two young girls he abused was laid bare.
Sending King, aged 51, to begin his lengthy prison sentence, Judge Sarah Wright told him: “Your victims were targeted, sexualised and subjected to acts of a degrading nature.
“Both were vulnerable…each of them has shown the utmost courage in coming to give evidence, after trying to bury this for so many years.”
A Sheffield Crown Court hearing held on September 20, 2024 heard how both of the girls King abused, who were 13 and 14, respectively, when it started, had worked to rebuild their lives; and felt stunned and surprised when detectives from the National Crime Agency unexpectedly visited them, years later, to ask them about the abuse.
Judge Wright said the fortitude the complainants, both of whom are now young women, had demonstrated by dredging up their trauma, and by giving ‘compelling’ evidence at King’s trial ‘knowing they would be accused of lying’, was ‘considerable’ and ‘commendable’.
King’s shameful abuse of the complainants which began when he was 38-years-old continued in court when he had the audacity to claim that the complainants had only come forward to seek compensation, but jurors rejected his account when they found him guilty of all charges he faced at the conclusion of the trial on July 24, 2024.
Judge Wright said it must have been ‘very difficult’ having the court proceedings hanging over the complainants for more than three years, something which had been exacerbated by knowing King, of Meadow Street, Rotherham, ‘had not shown one ounce of remorse’ for what he had done, even after the guilty verdicts were returned.
The court heard how Complainant A was exceptionally vulnerable when King’s abuse started, having endured periods within the care system and of homelessness at such a young age.
King abused Complainant A along with a woman who had become involved in the sex industry and was herself described as vulnerable.
Complainant A was groomed, plied with alcohol and was provided with the life essentials she was deprived of, while both complainants were often given money after their abuse was carried out, the court heard.
In a gut-wrenching statement read to the court, Complainant A said King had ‘ruined’ her life; and that the complex post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, night terrors, attempts on her life, and her need to self-medicate - alongside the prescribed medication she takes for the myriad of psychological issues she now has to contend with - all ‘started with him’.
“Nothing will take away what he did to me,” Complainant A said, and explained that her ability to trust, form attachments and choose the right partners has been irreparably impacted by King’s crimes, because he ‘brainwashed’ her into thinking the abuse he subjected her to was part of a healthy relationship.
Complainant B, through her statement, also described feeling unable to ‘trust’ people, and men in particular, and said she felt her ability to be in healthy relationships had been significantly impaired in the wake of King’s abuse which began when she was just 13.
In her statement, Complainant B said she, too, continues to suffer psychologically said she had self-medicated in an attempt to process what had happened to her, that she had developed behavioural problems and dropped out of school; and in the years since, had experienced issues with her parents after wondering how they ‘didn’t see’ what was happening.
The two complainants, both of whom are entitled to lifelong anonymity, have become mothers in the intervening years, and described their dedication to loving, and protecting, their children and ensuring they have the best childhoods possible - something stolen from both of them through King’s heinous crimes.
In total, jurors found King guilty of: two counts of rape; eight counts of sexual activity with a child; four counts of attempted rape and two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Defending, Abigail Langford, described King as an ‘outcast - to a certain extent’ and had been ‘excessively overweight’ until he had a procedure to have a gastric band fitted.
She suggested that King, who she said is someone who has ‘always worked,’ has also had to cope with the impact of these court proceedings looming over him since 2021.
Ms Langford said King had ‘suffered the loss of both parents,’ something which has been ‘incredibly difficult’ for him and has resulted in him becoming even more isolated.
“The reality is, if he is ever released, he will be significantly older, and will no doubt live the rest of his life in relative isolation. The public may think that’s what he deserves, but there is a human factor,” continued Ms Langford.
Jailing King, Judge Wright told him: “Their childhood and adolescence can never be reclaimed. Each has suffered immense psychological harm. They continue to suffer, and will continue to suffer throughout their lives as a result of your actions.”
“Only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate.”
King was also told he must remain on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life
He was prosecuted as part of the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, which is the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of non-familial child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
*Rotherham Abuse Counselling Service provide free specialist counselling to adults and young people over 13, of any gender, who have experienced abuse at any time in their life.
You can refer yourself to their service, and you can also be referred from other agencies.
If you need to contact them, please call in confidence on 01709 835482, or email [email protected]
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