74-year-old man from north Hampshire jailed for rapes
The offences happened in the 1970s across Berkshire and Surrey
Last updated 7th Mar 2022
A man has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment after he was convicted of four counts of rape and four indecent assaults.
Following a trial lasting six days at Reading Crown Court, Jeffrey Quirk, aged 74, of Reading Road at Stratfield Turgis was found guilty by unanimous jury verdict of the offences, which all occurred in the 1970s when he was working as a gymnastics instructor across Berkshire and Surrey.
Quirk was acquitted of two other counts of rape.
Throughout the mid to late 1970s, Quirk was a gymnastics instructor and targeted his victim by sexual grooming at locations in both Berkshire and Surrey.
His victim was aged in her teens at the time and Quirk groomed both her and her family and embarked on a pattern of sexual abuse over a long period, raping and indecently assaulting her on numerous occasions.
He assaulted his victim in a number of locations, including schools, vehicles and his own addresses.
Quirk was reported to Thames Valley Police in April 2019 via Operation Hydrant, which was established in 2014 to provide operational coordination for non-recent child sexual abuse investigations involving people of public prominence and where offending took place within an institution.
He was charged via a postal requisition on 16 April last year.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Kathryn Webb of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said:
“This has been a lengthy investigation that has only been possible due to the courage of the victim who was abused by an older man who was in a position of trust.
“She has had to live with the consequences of Quirk’s actions for nearly 50 years, and we are pleased to see that justice has now been served.
“Thames Valley Police take all reports of sexual abuse seriously, no matter what the passage of time.
“Anyone wishing to make a report should contact 101.
“We are committed to investigating non-recent offences, and will always look to put offenders before the courts.”