STEPHEN WILKES JAILED FOR 17 YEARS IN NEWCASTLE FOR HISTORIC CHILD SEX OFFENCES

In May 2014, Stephen Wilkes, a 44-year-old man from Monkside, Cramlington in Northumberland, received a 17-year prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court for historic sexual offences against a young girl.

Wilkes was convicted on March 14 of ten counts related to indecent assault, gross indecency, and sexual activity involving penetration with a child. The offences spanned a decade, beginning in 1994 when the victim was just three years old. Additionally, in August, Wilkes pleaded guilty to possessing an indecent moving image of a child on his computer.

Detective Sergeant Phil Mordue from the Rape Investigation Team commented: "We want to reassure people we take all allegations of child sexual abuse — current or historic — very seriously and have specially trained officers able to deal with sensitive issues in confidence."

He continued, "I would also like to praise the bravery of the victim who came forward and told officers about these crimes. This enquiry has been very difficult for this individual, and I hope that following this sentence, she feels that justice has now been done."

Sergeant Mordue urged others who have suffered similar abuse to report it: "I would like to say to anyone who has suffered such abuse to try to find the courage to tell the police so we can take action. No one should feel they have to suffer in silence and carry around the heavy burden of this type of abuse. I hope this young woman can now start to put this ordeal behind her and move forward with the help and support of her family."