NORTHUMBERLAND PREDATOR WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED FOUR GIRLS OVER 40 YEARS AGO IS JAILED
A man who sexually assaulted four schoolgirls over 40 years ago has finally been jailed.Sean Soanes, now 58, was a teenager when he committed the offences in Newcastle in the early 1980s.
The victims lived with the consequences of Soanes’ actions for most of their lives and sought the courage to report the assaults to police in 2023.
He denied the offences when interviewed by officers and was subsequently charged with six counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 years and one count of gross indecency with a girl under 14 years - being that the offences occurred before the Sexual Offences Act was introduced in 2003.
However, ahead of the case going to trial in December, Soanes, of Malvins Road, Blyth,, entered a guilty plea for seven offences.
On Friday, he attended Newcastle Crown Court, where he was jailed for four years with a requirement to serve a minimum of 32 months.
Soanes will spend the remainder of his sentence on licence once released and was handed restraining orders against the victims.
He will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Speaking about the impact of Soanes' abuse, one of the victims said: "Childhood victims – past and present – deserve to be heard, believed and protected.
Silence protects the abuser, never the child and that is something I am instilling into my children." They added: "Despite everything, I am here and there have been days when I haven’t wanted to be.
I am working to understand my emotions, reclaim my voice and rebuild my sense of safety.
Speaking up is the step I am able to take – for myself and for every survivor who has never had the chance to speak." Detective Constable Claire Ashurst, of Northumbria Police’s Child and Adult Protection Team, led the investigation.
Speaking after Soanes’ sentencing, she said: “Firstly, I want to applaud the victims’ bravery in coming forward to report these crimes against them.
"It is clear the victims have suffered with the consequences of Soanes’ abuse for years – something which no-one should have to deal with.
By bravely coming forward, it has allowed us to take action and put their abuser before the courts." She added: "I hope this case demonstrates that it’s never too late to seek justice.
I'd urge anyone who has been a victim of any form of sexual offending to reach out, whether it happened yesterday, last week, or decades ago.”
