A man who groomed and sexually abused a child over four years in Ashford has been jailed after his victim came forward nearly three decades later.
Trevor Bagnall, 68, of Farthing Fields, Bordon, Hampshire, was sentenced to three years and nine months at Canterbury Crown Court on 4 September 2026. Following a trial, he was found guilty of gross indecency and sexually assaulting a child in Ashford between 1995 and 1999. He had denied any wrongdoing.
Bagnall was arrested in May 2020 after the victim — who had carried the weight of this for around 30 years — finally reported what had happened.
In a statement read to the court, the victim described years of misplaced guilt for not speaking out sooner, before coming to understand that they had been a child simply trying to survive. Responsibility for what happened, they said, “belongs entirely to Trevor.” The abuse had shaped their relationships, confidence, career, emotional wellbeing and sense of identity — damage, the victim made clear, that would not be undone by the conclusion of criminal proceedings.
Bagnall showed no remorse throughout.
Kent Police Investigator Becki Pike said the conviction would not have been possible without the victim’s exceptional bravery. Bagnall, she said, had refused to admit accountability and had needlessly dragged his victim through a lengthy trial. She hoped the custodial sentence would bring some comfort — while acknowledging nothing could erase what he did.
Key information
- Anyone who has experienced child sexual abuse, recent or historic, can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, available 24 hours a day.
- Survivors can also contact Rape Crisis England and Wales on 0808 500 2222 for specialist support.
- Kent Police can be reached on 101 to report non-recent abuse, or 999 in an emergency.