County Durham paedophile jailed after being convicted of child sex offences
by Adam Foster · ChronicleLiveA County Durham paedophile has been jailed after his victim came forward to report the sexual abuse she was subjected to.
Neil Thompson, who is now 59, abused his victim decades ago when she was a young girl. The victim was threatened by Thompson that she would not be believed if she told anyone about what had taken place.
She reported what happened to Northumbria Police, whose Safeguarding Department launched a full investigation into Thompson. He was then charged with a string of offences to which he pleaded not guilty.
Following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court which began in April, Thompson was convicted of four counts of indecent assault and five counts of gross indecency. After being convicted, Thompson was remanded in custody. He was back before the court on Tuesday, where he was jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years.
As well as being jailed, Thompson, of Pleasant View, Medomsley, County Durham, was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
The officer in charge of the case, PC Joanne Lythgoe, of Northumbria Police, said: "First and foremost, I’d like to praise the victim for her bravery. She has shown great courage in coming forward to report the appalling abuse she suffered and that has helped us in building a case against Neil Thompson."
PC Lythgoe added: "As a force, we want the public to be aware that protecting and supporting vulnerable victims is our top priority and we will continue to work incredibly hard to put offenders such as Thompson before the courts. If you have been a victim – regardless of when the abuse took place – we would encourage you to take that first step and come forward. You will be listened to, and you will be supported."
To access support or find out more information on how to disclose sexual assault or rape, visit Northumbria Police’s website at https://www.northumbria.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/rape-sexual-assault-support/
To report any other type of non-recent abuse, send the Force a direct message on social media, or use the live chat function on the Force website.
For those unable to contact police via those ways, call 101.
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