Child rapist jailed for minimum of nine years

A MAN who raped a 10-year-old girl and attempted to rape her eight-year-old friend was yesterday jailed for a minimum of nine years.

Antonio Baraken, 53, from Leicester Way, York, was convicted by a jury in December last year of both offences and also of causing the same children to watch sexual activity.

North Yorkshire Police said Baraken's previous history of offending was read to the jury during the trial at York Crown Court. He had been shown to be a predatory individual who easily engaged with young girls and sought to befriend them.

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Det Insp Steve Smith, of York CID, said "Baraken had an unfortunate ability to identify young girls in the area he lived in whose own lives may have not been ideal, and so they were vulnerable to his attention.

"Having enticed them with cigarettes, mobile phones to keep in touch with them, and offers to watch his TV, matters soon deteriorated to him subjecting them to serious sexual assaults in his home. This man was no relation, nor friend of the families involved.

"The young girls who gave evidence in this case have displayed great strength of character in dealing with this, especially in withstanding the process of giving evidence at court.

"I hope that the sentence today enables them to look forward to their futures, knowing he can no longer harm neither them or anyone else."