Jail for man who sexually assaulted Gloucestershire girl, 15, while she was on holiday

A man who sexually assaulted a teenager from Gloucestershire while she was on holiday in Austria 20 years ago has been jailed.

Stephen Capper, aged 68, and of Manor Road, Torquay, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 7 February) to four years and three months in prison.

He was also handed a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The woman says what happened caused her "irreversible damage" which continued to control and affect her life for more than 16 years until she felt ready to speak out about what had happened.

Capper was working as a coach driver employed by Wallace Arnold Coaches in July 2003 when it happened, and was responsible for driving tour parties on holidays to Europe.

The 15-year-old, who was on holiday in Austria with family members, said Capper approached her in the hotel one evening, pestered her for her room number, and then arrived unannounced at her room.

Before leaving the room, Capper told her that "nobody can know about this because you will get into trouble".

Following a trial in November last year, Capper was found guilty of indecent assault under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, as it happened prior to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 coming into force.

Appearing in court to read out her Victim Personal Statement, the woman said: "Despite the incident happening 19 years ago, I still vividly remember how I felt immediately after I closed my hotel room door once he had left.

"I felt disgusting, shocked, embarrassed and I felt scared. I was warned that if anyone was to find out about what had happened, that I would be the one who would get into trouble. This is what, to my young and naïve mind, ultimately forced my silence for so long.

"Over the years, I tried inconceivably hard to bury my feelings and thoughts, and I tried to carry on and act as normal as I could.

"Ultimately, I would continue to live with this coping mechanism for 16 years until 2019 when I finally felt ready to speak my truth.

"Unfortunately, by this point, the damage caused was already irreversible and I quickly realised that I had allowed this inscrutable secret to subconsciously control and affect my life for over 16 years."

Police have praised her for her courage and determination to see the case through.

Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Detective Constable Elle Macleod, who led the investigation, said: "The victim has shown amazing courage in coming forward to the police and remained resilient in supporting the criminal justice process to its conclusion.

"I wish to commend the victim for her bravery and strength, and for helping to ensure no further victims ever come to harm at the hands of this defendant.

"Now she has finally got some closure for what she was subjected to and I hope she can begin to rebuild her life."

Acting Detective Inspector Faye Satchwell-Bennett, from the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team, said: "Both our agencies are determined to support victims of rape through the initial reporting and onto trial.

"We actively encourage the reporting of these matters so they can be investigated by our combined specialist resources and are jointly dedicated to bringing sex offenders to justice, regardless of how long ago a crime happened."

If you have been the victim of a sexual assault, you can report it to police here.

You can find more information on the support services available by visiting here.