Stephen Cooper of Blackfield jailed for 16 years after being convicted of child sex assaults
A NEW Forest man has been jailed for 16 years after he admitted sexually assaulting a child.
Stephen Cooper (61) of The Drove, Blackfield, committed the offences in Basingstoke between March 2021 and March 2023, when the child was aged four to six years old.
He was charged with four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, sexual assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, and sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 and causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Cooper had denied the offences but was convicted after a trial at Winchester Crown Court. He was jailed for a total of 16 years at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday.
Detective Constable Fiona Leman-Lawrie, from the Northern Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “It took a tremendous amount of courage for the young victim in this case to tell us what had happened to her.
“I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the bravery both she and her family showed throughout the investigation and court process.
“Without them we would not have been able to secure this outcome and we would sincerely like to thank them.”
She added: “While I know this result won’t rid the victim and her family of the memories of what Cooper 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.
“If anything of this nature has happened to you, please come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.”
Anyone who has any concerns about child abuse should contact us on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Those who have 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 also access support. More information is available here.
