THE rape conviction of a Costa Blanca-based British charity worker for a crime dating back 30 years has prompted fears many more victims could come forward.
Justice finally caught up with Steven Monk-Dalton, 56, this month after he was sentenced to six years in prison at Preston Crown Court on October 10.
The court heard that Monk-Dalton was in his late twenties when he carried out the attack against his teenage victim – a pupil he was coaching at a local swimming club in Barrow, Cumbria, in 1996.
The jury took just two hours to deliver a unanimous verdict after a four-day trial, with the former swimming coach now added to the Sex Offenders Register for life.
The victim produced photographs and multiple witnesses who corroborated her account of the events, while Monk-Dalton ‘couldn’t muster up one witness in years – his only defence was ‘they’re all lying’’, a source with knowledge of the trial told the Olive Press.
“On the day – the best piece of evidence was Steve Monk-Dalton himself, who was tangled up in so many lies he’d lost track of what he was or wasn’t saying.”
“Many sentences contradicted the last one. Many points were different to what he’d said moments before.
“Admissions became denials. Denials became admissions. Memory loss became memory certainty – then back to memory loss again.
“Failing to answer straight questions, it just got worse and worse. The jury saw right through it.”
The incident was only reported to police in 2019, more than 23 years after it occurred.
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The long delay has led to fears that there could be more victims from Monk-Dalton’s years living abroad, where he has styled himself as a charity fundraiser and campaigner.
Originally from Barrow-in-Furness, he moved to Spain around 2005, where he lived for many years on the Costa Blanca in the Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa area.
The UK-based source, a friend of the victim, believes that Monk-Dalton’s crime wasn’t a one-off.
“The background behind this story has the ear markings of the next Jimmy Saville case.
“We have exceptionally strong reason to believe – with almost certainty – there are more people he has hurt.
“Nothing can be proven legally until they come forward – but they must feel safe to do so.
“We hope that knowledge of his conviction might encourage them to speak up.”
During the past 20 years, Monk-Dalton has been involved in a number of charity stunts and endurance challenges.
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These include running ‘44 marathons in 44 days’, all the way from Orihuela Court in Spain to London’s Royal Courts of Justice.
He’s also undertaken a tandem skydive, and even organised eight-a-side charity football tournaments with Reunite International, an organisation ‘specialising in international parental child abduction’.
His stated goal with each feat was to prove to his estranged daughter ‘I’ll do anything to show how much I love her’.
Previously, Monk-Dalton became a vigorous campaigner for parents separated from their children, frequently speaking about his daughter being ‘abducted’ and how this had motivated his advocacy work.
He has also written numerous blog posts about what he called ‘parental child abduction’ and ‘parental alienation’.
However, the same source told the Olive Press that Monk-Dalton’s claims of being a victim of parental abduction were untrue.
The person claimed he became estranged from his daughter in 2009 following what was described as a conviction for a ‘severe assault’ against his partner ‘with a weapon’ in front of the child.
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His daughter later refused any contact with him – leading to his writings on parental abduction and alienation.
The revelation of his rape conviction has sent shockwaves through the Orihuela costa, where he has been a larger-than-life figure – and a regular presence in the region’s darts circuit.
An earlier trial this year ended in a hung jury, but after all witnesses were re-examined and additional evidence heard, the second jury unanimously convicted Monk-Dalton within hours.
During the 1990s he was a swimming coach with the Barrow Beavers and Ulverston Otters clubs, placing him in regular contact with children.
Following his conviction, Cumbria Police urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or child sexual abuse in the UK to contact them on 101, or to reach out to the Bridgeway Sexual Assault Support Service on +44 330 223 0099.
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