Brighton child sex abuser jailed for 15 years

A Brighton man has been jailed for 15 years for abusing two girls, having raped one of them.

Leslie Raymond Sommerford, 55, of no fixed address, was convicted of 13 counts of child sex abuse at Lewes Crown Court.

He raped a 15-year-old girl five years ago. His victim is now 20.

And he was found guilty of 11 counts of indecent assault and one charge of gross indecency against a girl between the ages of 3 and 16 years old. His victim is now 31.

Leslie Sommerford

All the offences took place in Brighton.

As well as jailing Sommerford on Friday, Judge Richard Brown required him to register as a sex offender for life on his release.

Detective Constable Nikki Stevens, from the Brighton and Hove Child Protection Team, said: “Both victims were extremely brave while giving their evidence and we are very pleased that they can now finally have a chance to put these terrible matters behind them and move on with their lives.

“We will always follow up all allegations of historic abuse, no matter how long ago they are said to have occurred.”

She said that people reporting abuse could talk in confidence to experienced detectives at any time by calling Sussex Police on 101.

She added: “We can also help them get access to a range of other support services.”