Police have praised the courage of a victim of sexual assault after a paedophile was jailed for nine years. 

Stephen Shepherd, aged 61, of Perry’s Road, Stanford-in-the-Vale, was found guilty by unanimous jury verdicts of three counts of sexual assault by touching of a girl and two counts of sexual assault by penetration of a girl, following a trial at Oxford Crown Court, which concluded on August 30.

Returning to the same court on Friday, October 25, Shepherd was jailed for a total of nine years’ imprisonment. In the past five years, Shepherd sexually assaulted a girl.

READ MORE: Faringdon man jailed for sexually assaulting girl, aged six

Shepherd was interviewed under caution and was charged with the offences on September 24 last year.

Speaking on Monday (October 28), Detective Constable Lucy McDonagh of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit said: “The victim and her family have shown immense strength and courage to not only endure the horror of what happened, but also giving evidence in a trial.

“I am pleased that Shepherd has been sentenced to a significant custodial sentence as a result of his offending.

“I would like to pay tribute to the victim and her family for their support during this investigation.

"I hope that they will be able to put this behind them as best as they can and that the victim can move on with her life in the knowledge that her evidence helped to bring Shepherd to justice.”

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About the author  

Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government. 

He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years. 

Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby