SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Two men jailed for child sex offences committed in Yeovil area

TWO men have been convicted of a number of child sexual exploitation offences and sentenced to a combined total of 32 years at Bristol Crown Court.

Mehmet Citak, 34, and Ahmet Kurtyemez, 29, were convicted of offences against six victims, who were aged between 14 and 15 at the time. Kurtyemez was also convicted of an offence against a seventh victim, who was 18 at the time.

The offences took place in the Yeovil area between 2011 and 2014.

Citak, of Bradford Abbas in Dorset, was convicted of two counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Kurtyemez, of Swindon in Wiltshire, was convicted of one count of rape and six counts of sexual assault. He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

PHOTO - TOP: Ahmet Kurtyemez (left) and Mehmet Citak.

Det Insp Lindsay Sherlock said: “Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to all the victims in this case. They’ve displayed the utmost bravery and courage throughout our investigation and the proceeding trial.

“Citak and Kurtyemez abused their position of trust with the victims for their own sexual gratification and gave no thought to the long-term pain and torment they were inflicting on these children.

“The men systematically abused these young children over a number of years – slowly eroding their confidence and making them think these crimes were acceptable.

“The victims in this case were cruelly robbed of a normal childhood and I have no doubt will have a lasting effect on all of them, as well as their families.

“These men have refused to take any responsibility for these truly despicable crimes, forcing some of their victims to relive their ordeal by giving evidence at the trial.

“The courage of these victims has ensured our communities will now be protected from these dangerous offenders and I hope they are now able to move on with their lives.

“We’re determined to work with our partner agencies to make sure we’re consistently tackling sexual abuse in all its forms.

“We’re also committed to ensuring all our officers and staff are able to spot the tell-tale signs of exploitation and abuse to safeguard children across the Force area.

“We’d urge anyone with suspicions about children or young people being exploited or abused to please tell us. Every piece of information is important and we all have a role to play in keeping our children and young people safe from harm.

“We’d always urge victims of any crime to come forward and talk to us. You can call us on 101 or report online on our Force website.”

If you don’t want to speak to the police, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously.

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