January 2015
Crawley paedophile jailed for sex offences against young girl
A Crawley man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for sexual offences against a little girl.
Kevin Stevens, 49, of Deerswood Road, Crawley, was found guilty on Tuesday (January 20) after a seven-day trial at Lewes Crown Court of two counts of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with the girl.
Stevens was also served with a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) to last until further notice, restricting his access to children, and will be a registered sex offender for life.
Detective Constable Danni Flude of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigation Unit said; “Stevens gained the confidence of the little girl over a period of time and then committed the offences, taking despicable advantage of her age and vulnerability. Fortunately she eventually disclosed to her family, who immediately reported it to us.
“Although now older, she still had to be brave to give evidence against Stevens in court, and this was crucial in helping secure his conviction. It further shows that we will always take such allegations seriously and will try to help victims achieve justice whenever possible.”
