Man sentenced for non-recent sexual offences

A Portsmouth man has been jailed for 13 years after being convicted of raping a child.
Paul Deacon, 67, was found guilty following a trial of a string of non-recent sexual offences against a young girl between the ages of 8 and 15. Some of the offences dated back to more than 20 years ago.
Deacon denied one count of rape, five counts of indecent assault, one count of gross indecency and one count of inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
Following a trial this month at Portsmouth Crown Court, Deacon was convicted on all charges.
He was sentenced at the same court yesterday (25 August), when he was jailed for 13 years.
Speaking after the case Detective Constable Graham Skull, of Hampshire Constabulary’s specialist Operation Amberstone team, said: "Paul Deacon is a sexual predator who forced himself on an innocent young girl on multiple occasions.
"I would like to commend the victim for her bravery and courage in coming to us to report her ordeal and help secure the guilty verdict against this despicable man.
"I hope she finds some comfort in knowing the man who attacked her will now be behind bars for many years.
"This sentence shows our commitment to bringing sexual offenders like Deacon to justice. I hope results like this continue to encourage victims to come forward and report crimes to us."