A paedophile brought to justice four decades after his sick abuse was accused of robbing his victim of her childhood.

Jeffrey Phillips was given five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, as reported by the Oxford Mail at the weekend.

Sending him down, Judge Nigel Daly told the now 71-year-old: “You indecently assaulted this child, you did it repeatedly.”

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Welcoming the lengthy sentence, DC Nicola Fullerton of Thames Valley’s child abuse investigation unit said of Phillips: “His offending has had a huge impact on the victim’s life.

"He robbed her of her childhood innocence, causing significant emotional and psychological distress, and it is testament to her courage that he is now facing time in prison.

“I hope that this case demonstrates to other people who may have been the victim of such offending that it is never too late to come forward and talk to the police.

“We will listen to you, investigate and do everything that we can to ensure criminals like Phillips are brought to justice.”

Now living in Greater Manchester, the assaults took place when Phillips lived in Abingdon in the 1970s. His abuse began when his victim was still a young girl and, after a few years, resumed briefly when she was in her early teens.

Phillips will be on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward