A 54-year-old man has been sentenced for nine child sex offences after being found guilty by a jury at a trial last year.

Spencer King, previously of Banbury, abused the girl over a two-year period, before she bravely reported it to Northamptonshire Police and he was subsequently charged with a number of offences.

In interview, King denied the allegations and would go on to plead not guilty at Northampton Crown Court, forcing the case to a trial.

However in November of last year, he was convicted of by a jury of seven counts of sexual assault, one count of sexually assaulting a girl under 13, and one count of sexually assaulting a girl aged 13-15 by penetration.  

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At the same court last week (February 3), he was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison.

Lead Investigator DC James Wright of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “This case took a long time to bring to trial due to a number of issues and the Covid-19 pandemic, but the victim never waivered.

“She has shown strength, bravery and tenacity beyond her years, facing Spencer King at court during the trial to tell him and the jury exactly what he had done to her.

"She showed him that what he did to her, although having a profound effect on her, was not going to rule her life.

“King continued to deny the allegations that were made against him during the course of the investigation and in the giving of his evidence during the trial, but the jury saw through these lies and convicted him of a number of serious sexual offences.

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“He will now serve his sentence for this horrendous abuse, and hopefully the time that he will spend in prison will give him the opportunity to reflect on his abhorrent actions.”

King was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order which are both indefinite.

Northamptonshire Police said it takes reports of sexual abuse "extremely seriously and we will treat all calls and reports with the sensitivity and confidentiality that they deserve.

"We will believe you, we will support you, and we will do all we can to make sure those responsible pay for their crimes."

 

 

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