Man jailed for 8 years for sex offences against young teenager in Lincoln and Woodhall Spa
He's been convicted of 8 counts of sexual assault
A man's been jailed for 8 years for 8 counts of sexual assault which took place in Lincoln and Woodhall Spa.
At Lincoln Crown Court 45 year old Craig Smith of Bruce Road, Radford Coventry was found guilty following a trial.
He engaged in sexual contact with the victim who was a young teenager at the time.
He's also been placed on the sex offenders register for life.
The offences took place between 2018 and 2020.
Lincolnshire police have commented on the verdict.
I do hope this result goes some way to encourage others to report offences of this kind
The officer in charge of the case at Lincolnshire Police, T/DC Robert Djemah, thanked everyone who helped bring Smith to justice and reiterated the force’s commitment to victims of sexual offences, and went on to say:
“Throughout the process the suspect denied the allegation to the very end, showing no remorse to what he has done, and what he put the victim through."
"As one can image, this was a difficult period for the victim, but with support from police and other agencies, the victim had the courage to stand in court to tell the truth of all that happened to her at a young age."
“I do hope this result goes some way to encourage others to report offences of this kind, even when historic in nature."
"Please be assured that police will do everything, within the boundaries of the law, to bring perpetrators to justice who groom, prey on, and exploit our vulnerable children to gratify their sexual desires which is, undeniably, a hideous crime against the children in our society."
This conduct will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire
"As an organisation we are continuously looking for better ways to work with our partners to support susceptible victims of serious sexual assaults and were possible bring these criminals/perpetrators to justice."
"This conduct will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire."
“I’d like to thank everyone who came forward and helped secure Smith’s conviction and we hope his punishment will provide his victim with some closure and provide reassurance to the local community.
“We’d encourage anyone who has had a similar experience to this to contact us. We can help and we promise to deal with your report with compassion.”
If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault or offence, please report it to us as soon as possible.
Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we want to hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.
If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.