March 2015
Norwich man jailed for sexually abusing young girl
A Norwich man has been jailed for more than two years after being convicted of sexually abusing a young girl.
Anthony O’Rourke, of Capps Road was sentenced yesterday at Norwich Crown Court after previously being found guilty of three counts of indecent assault.
The offences involved a girl under the age of 16 and took place between 2000 and 2002.
O’Rourke was convicted by a jury on Friday, February 13 following a five-day trial.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, contacted police in late December 2013 to report the abuse and a police investigation was launched resulting in O’Rourke being arrested in January.
O’Rourke was sentenced to 30 months in jail by Judge Bacon QC.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Protection Order (SOPO).
Detective Constable David Rawlings of Norfolk Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “The fact O’Rourke pleaded not guilty meant the victim had to relive her ordeal in court which took an enormous amount of courage.
“We hope such a sentence will help give the victim a sense of closure so she can move on positively with her life.”
Norfolk Constabulary is committed to bringing sexual offenders to justice and has a dedicated team of investigators who deal with crimes involving child abuse.
Norfolk’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), The Harbour Centre, operates a 24-hour service for victims of sexual abuse and can be contacted on 0845 456 4810, or call police on 101 to report a crime.
The SARC opened in September 2010 and aims to empower victims by allowing them to report their abuse and undergo medical examinations without prompting a police investigation.
