West Berkshire man jailed for child sex offences
He met the girl in Norfolk and groomed her in plain sight
Last updated 14th Sep 2023
Man who groomed and carried out sexual offences on underage girl has been jailed for nine and half years
A man in his 70s has been sentenced to a total of nine and a half years for multiple sexual offences hidden in ‘plain sight’ against an underage girl after years of grooming her.
Charles Buxton, 71, of North Sydmonton, Newbury, Berkshire, was sentenced after appearing at Norwich Crown Court. He was sentenced to four years and two months for sexual activity with a child, two years for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity to be served concurrently and five years and four months to be served consecutively for sexual activity with a child to be served concurrently.
Buxton previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between 2009 and 2011.
On Monday 25 November 2019 the victim reported to the police she had been sexually abused historically and groomed into a sexual relationship by Buxton who was in his late 50s at the time he met the victim and her family in Cromer.
The court heard that Buxton had started by buying the victim gifts in the early 2000s, such as sweets, money and cigarettes. Buxton gained her ‘trust’ through buying her things and making her think she was in love with him before carrying out sexual activity with her.
In her statement, which the victim read out in court, she describes the impact:
“Years have passed, chapters of my life written, my face and body have changed, my family has grown. The wounds of my childhood still open and weep, impacting my life in so many ways. I have suffered with my mental health since the abuse started and still now, it is a constant battle. You took away my voice, you blurred the lines of love, stole my innocence and did it all hidden in plain sight from the world.”
Detective Inspector Donald Dallas said:
“Sex abuse can have a profound and lasting impact on the victim, who often has to carry what has happened to them throughout their lives. I would like to thank the victim for their courage in coming forward to the police and giving us the evidence to act upon. No sentence can diminish the trauma suffered from these crimes, however I hope there can be some comfort in seeing justice served.”