Jack Fry of New Milton jailed at Southampton Crown Court after admitting raping child

A NEW Milton man who admitted raping a child has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Jack Fry (25), of Gore Road, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to the rape of a child under the age of 13 and sexual assault of a child, which happened on 19th March.

Prosecutor Helen Easterbrook told the court Fry had visited a property where the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was temporarily staying on the sofa.

Fry had been drinking and taking drugs at the property with other adults, she explained, who went to bed at around 5.40am.

Fry then asked the victim if he could sleep with her on the sofa, to which she replied ‘no’. She went to sleep and woke to him undressing her before he sexually assaulted her.

The court heard Fry then raped her, repeatedly telling her to be quiet. The victim managed to escape when she told Fry she thought she had heard someone coming downstairs.

The child was left bleeding and suffered bruising.

A few days after the incident the child told an adult what had happened, and Fry was arrested. In interview he gave ‘no comment’ answers, Ms Easterbrook told the court.

A victim impact statement, which was read to the court, said the child had been left “frightened and confused” by the incident.

She added: “I was so scared he might turn up and do it again. I didn’t know if anyone would believe me.”

She was left “worried and embarrassed” after being told she needed to be examined by a doctor, and the incident had “changed” her.

She now felt “scared” around males and suffered nightmares, the statement concluded.

A pre-sentence report identified Fry as at a low risk of offending, but Mrs Easterbook said it showed he “clearly” had a sexual interest in children, which had been the driving force behind the incident.

Defending, Charles Gabb told the court: “There is really only one piece of mitigation, and that is simply his guilty pleas.”

He added the offending was “opportunistic” and fuelled by alcohol and drugs.

Mr Gabb said Fry wanted to share his remorse over the incident, adding: “It is not lost on him the enormity of what he has done.”

Judge Nicholas Rowland called the incident “extremely grave” and sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years in custody, with an additional one year on extended licence.

He added: “These are two serious offences against a child by you, a 25-year-old man. You committed the offences in her temporary bed and left her with injuries from what you had done.

“Serious aggravating factors include your extended drink and drugs spree. The effect [on her] is apparent from her personal statement.”

Speaking after, Detective Constable David Sloan, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I am so pleased for the young victim in this case that justice has now been served for them and their family, and that Fry has now been placed behind bars, where he belongs.

“I’d also like to place on record my praise for the young victim in this case and the courage and determination they have shown throughout.

“Additionally, I’d like thank everyone who has been involved in this case, helping to secure today’s outcome. Their support and hard work has ensured a conviction within two weeks of the report being made to us, and sentencing within four months.”

He added: “While I know this result won’t rid the victim and family of the memories of what Fry did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm any other children.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.”

Anyone who has any concerns about child abuse should contact police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Anyone who has experienced abuse in childhood, or is concerned about a child, can contact the NSPCC helpline confidentially, on 0808 800 5000. Alternatively, you can email help@nspcc.org.uk Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

Survivors of sexual abuse, whether the crime was reported or not, can get support online here Support for rape and sexual assault | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary