Sergeis Jakobovskis, now aged 55 and of Beatty Court in Andover, abused one of the girls a number of times at an address in Ryde in 2011 when she was under the age of 10. Isle of Wight Crown Court heard that Jakobovskis also sexually assaulted another girl, aged 16, around this same period. The girls, both now adult women, courageously reported this to police in 2018. Following a lengthy and thorough investigation, Jakobovskis was charged with sexual assault, and two counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13 by touching. He denied the offences, and the case went to trial on 10 October 2022. A jury found him guilty of all three charges and he was subsequently remanded in custody to appear at the Crown Court again today (Tuesday 3 January 2023) for sentencing.  

    At the hearing, he was jailed for a total of four years. Following the sentencing, DC Dave Widger said: “Finding the confidence to report sexual abuse takes an incredible amount of bravery on behalf of the victim. I want to commend these two young women for their courage and patience throughout this investigation. “For any victim, going through the criminal justice process is effectively being made to relive the trauma of what happened to you. I am so pleased that both victims got some very hard earned justice. “Protecting children is a duty we take extremely seriously as police officers, and we will do everything in our power to bring child sex offenders like Jakobovskis to justice.” If you have been affected by child sexual abuse you can contact police on 101 and speak to a police officer in confidence. We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there are support services available that can help you if you are a victim of abuse. Anyone who has experienced abuse in childhood or is concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline confidentially on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.