Man jailed for eight years for eight counts of sexual assault

Craig Smith of Bruce Road, Radford, Coventry, was sentenced when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, 17 May.

The 45-year-old engaged in sexual contact with his victim who was a young teenager at the time.

He pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sexual assault which took place between 2018 and 2020 in Woodhall Spa and Lincoln.  However, he was found guilty, by a unanimous verdict delivered by all 12 jurors after a four-day trial.

While Smith has been jailed for eight years, has also been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, as well as being served a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The officer in charge of the case at Lincolnshire Police, T/DC Robert Djemah, thanked everyone who helped bring Smith to justice and reiterated the force’s commitment to victims of sexual offences, and went on to say:

“Throughout the process the suspect denied the allegation to the very end, showing no remorse to what he has done, and what he put the victim through. As one can image, this was a difficult period for the victim, but with support from police and other agencies, the victim had the courage to stand in court to tell the truth of all that happened to her at a young age.

“I do hope this result goes some way to encourage others to report offences of this kind, even when historic in nature.  Please be assured that police will do everything, within the boundaries of the law, to bring perpetrators to justice who groom, prey on, and exploit our vulnerable children to gratify their sexual desires which is, undeniably, a hideous crime against the children in our society. As an organisation we are continuously looking for better ways to work with our partners to support susceptible victims of serious sexual assaults and were possible bring these criminals/perpetrators to justice. This conduct will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire.

“I’d like to thank everyone who came forward and helped secure Smith’s conviction and we hope his punishment will provide his victim with some closure and provide reassurance to the local community.

“We’d encourage anyone who has had a similar experience to this to contact us. We can help and we promise to deal with your report with compassion.”

If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault or offence, please report it to us as soon as possible.

Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we want to hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.

Follow this link here - Support for victims of rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk) to find out what other organisations can help and support you.

You can report a rape and sexual assault here - How to report rape and sexual assault | Lincolnshire Police (lincs.police.uk)