A Crawley man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for sexual offences against a small girl.
Kevin Stevens, 49, of Deerswood Road Crawley, was found guilty on Tuesday 20 January 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 same girl, all between 2010 and 2012 when she was aged between four and six years old.
He was sentenced by Judge Guy Anthony on the same day.
Stevens was also served with a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) to last until further notice, severely 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."
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