A PAEDOPHILE FROM Coventry has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of sexually abusing a young girl in the city.
John Evans, 59, of Hearsall Lane, repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl at an address in the city in the 1990s.
The abuse carried on until she was a teenager, and Evans was identified and arrested after the girl came forward as an adult to tell her story.
Thanks to her bravery in coming forward, Evans was arrested in 2023.
Asked about the abuse and confronted with the details of his crime, he offered no comment beyond the fact he had known the girl at the time.
Evans eventually admitted rape and indecent assault and, at Warwick Crown Court, was jailed for 20 years and was put on the sex offender register for life.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Across the West Midlands, our non-recent sexual abuse team investigate reports of sexual abuse and rape, no matter how long ago they occurred.
“It is through the bravery of the survivors that cases are built and offenders brought to justice.
“You can report a sexual assault or rape that happened at any time to us, even if it was months, years or decades ago. We take every report seriously, no matter how much time has passed.
“We understand that there are lots of reasons why someone might not feel ready to tell anyone about what has happened right away.
“We also know it’s common for survivors to take time to realise that what has happened is a crime.”
Visit https://tinyurl.com/52k8pp36 for more information about reporting non-recent sex offences to West Midlands Police.
