Babysitter jailed for child sex assaults

A SOMERSET man has been jailed after admitting six counts of indecently assaulting a child.

Kevin Mottram, of Peasedown St John, was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court.

The court heard how Mottram, 68, was highly regarded in his local community, as a churchgoer and charity fundraiser.

But he harboured a dark secret – the abuse of a young girl aged between six and nine.

The offences were reported in March 2020 by the victim and were carried out in the 1990s while he was her babysitter.

Stephen Dent, prosecuting, told the court Mottram touched the girl improperly, on multiple occasions, over a three-year period.

After the touching, which happened regularly, he would put her to bed and hold her hand until she went to sleep, the court heard.

Later Mottram approached the complainant and thanked her for not telling anyone, saying it was a low point in his life and he would be destroyed if people found out.

But years later, the victim found the courage to contact the police and reported Mottram.

And after that, Mottram also contacted police and made a prepared statement in which he apologised for his actions and said he had struggled with what he had done for many years.

The victim, speaking behind a screen, read the judge a comprehensive statement saying how she silently endured the pain of the abuse and had felt “dirty, ashamed and undeserving of love”.

Judge Martin Picton jailed him for 15 years, with an extended licence period of three years.

Nicholas Wragg, defending, said: “He is ashamed. He is devastated by his actions. He has felt wretched for years.”

He was told to sign the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.