Paedophile jailed after grooming and assaulting a girl from Cromer for years

A man in his 70s has been jailed for sexually assaulting a child he had been grooming for years.

Charles Buxton, 71, of North Sydmonton, Newbury, Berkshire, was sentenced to nine years in prison after appearing at Norwich Crown Court on 13 September.

Buxton had previously pleaded guilty to the string of offences that happened between 2009 and 2011.

The victim reported that she had been abused and groomed into a sexual relationship by Buxton in 2019.

He was in his 50s when he met the child and her family in Cromer in Norfolk.

The court heard that Buxton had started by buying the victim gifts such as sweets, money and cigarettes in the early 2000s.

Buxton gained her "trust" through buying her things and making her think she was in love with him before carrying out sexual activity with her.

In her statement, which the victim read out in court, she described the impact: "Years have passed, chapters of my life written, my face and body have changed, my family has grown.

"The wounds of my childhood still open and weep, impacting my life in so many ways. I have suffered with my mental health since the abuse started and still now, it is a constant battle.

"You took away my voice, you blurred the lines of love, stole my innocence and did it all hidden in plain sight from the world."

Det Insp Donald Dallas said: "Sex abuse can have a profound and lasting impact on the victim, who often has to carry what has happened to them throughout their lives.

"I would like to thank the victim for their courage in coming forward to the police and giving us the evidence to act upon.

"No sentence can diminish the trauma suffered from these crimes, however I hope there can be some comfort in seeing justice served."

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