Paedophile who called himself ‘Papa Smurf’ jailed for raping girl under 16
A pensioner who called himself ‘Papa Smurf’ after making headlines for amassing the world’s largest collection of Smurf toys has been exposed as a child rapist.
Robin White, 65, travelled around schools and nurseries showing off his haul of more than 11,500 dolls and pieces of memorabilia from the cartoon show and earlier comic book.
He has now been jailed for 16 years after being found guilty of raping and sexual assaulting a girl under the age of 16 following a trial at Derby Crown Court.
His victim, who is now an adult, came forward to reveal how she had been abused as a youngster and was forced to reveal the ordeal in front of jurors after White denied the offences.
He was convicted of six counts of rape, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and a number of indecent assaults.
Prosecutor Julia King told the court the victim suffered ‘severe psychological harm’ as a result of White’s ‘degrading and humiliating’ attacks.
Jailing him, Judge Nirmal Shant QC told White his offending ‘has blighted [the woman] for the rest of her life’.
He said: ‘It has affected her personal relationships and has affected her personal and private persona. To say you have blighted her life in every way is an understatement.’
White, whose birth name is Michael, previously made headlines in 2017 after claiming his collection of Smurfs was the largest on the planet.
He claimed to have spent thousands of pounds on the dolls and memorabilia having scoured the country buying the little blue toys at car boot sales.
Speaking at the time, he estimated spending around £2,000 on the toys and kept over 10,000 of them in his van.
The oldest toys date back to the first ones released in 1946, which were brown rather than blue, when the Smurfs were comic book characters.
His most valuable piece of memorabilia is a crystal key ring, which is estimated to be worth around £300.
Following the trial, an NSPCC spokesman said: ‘This case is yet another harrowing example of the effect child sexual abuse can have on victims.
‘It can ruin childhoods and the effects can last long into adulthood.
‘The courage of the woman who reported White’s unforgivable actions cannot be understated.
‘This sentence shows that no matter when the abuse happened, paedophiles like White can still face the justice they deserve and we would encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to speak up and seek support.’
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