A pervert lorry driver has been jailed for a string of sex attacks on girls across Britain – including some on children as young as seven.
David Mapp, 67, preyed on the youngsters over a 25 year period while he worked as a long distance HGV driver.
He befriended women across Britain to take advantage of their connections to children aged between seven and 15.
After gaining their trust he quickly turned his attention to the young girls – telling them his sick acts “would be their secret”.
Mapp was jailed for 13 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of 13 charges of indecent assault.
Judge Amjad Nawaz told him: “You did not spare the anguish of your victims. You chose not to.
“A significant sentence of custody is the only way in which you can be dealt with for these offences.”
Mapp, formerly from Sandwell, West Mids., but now living in Cleveleys, Lancs., denied 13 charges of indecent assault committed in the Telford and Smethwick areas.
But he was convicted on all the charges by jury of six men and six women following a two week trial.
Prosecutor Simon Phillips said impact statements from the victims revealed how badly their lives had been affected by Mapp’s sickening abuse.
One woman revealed she had to turn to alcohol and drugs to try and bury the nightmare while another said what Mapp did to her had been “spinning around in her head for years.”
Mapp was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
His crimes first came to light on Christmas 2011 when a woman told her mother that she had been abused by Mapp when she was a child.
In March 2012 the family told West Midlands Police and they discovered that other family members had also been abused.
A major investigation was launched and it was discovered that in 1988 and 1994 two allegations of sexual assault were made to two separate police forces.
Despite comprehensive enquiries, there was insufficient evidence and no charges were brought against Mapp.
As part of the new investigation, the victims who made historical allegations were re-contacted and agreed to provide statements.
Detective Sergeant Jayne Killoch, who led the national investigation, said: “Mapp was arrested in April last year and when questioned by detectives denied all offences.
“But this didn’t stop us bringing him before the courts.
“As part of our enquiries we identified seven victims of his crimes all of whom demonstrated remarkable courage by agreeing to give evidence in court.
“I have worked closely with these women over the last 12 months and each one has been affected in a different way but all were scarred by what Mapp did to them.
“Now they have seen justice and are looking forward to the rest of their lives, free from the ‘secret’ they had kept for years.”
