Swindon man jailed for sexually abusing young girls

A man has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for historical sexual assaults on children as young as eight.

Stephen Burrows, also known as Marc, 47, of Fitkin Court, Redhouse, Swindon, Wiltshire, was found guilty of the offenses following a trial in August.

He committed two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, sexual assault by penetration and causing sexual activity in a child. He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday.

He committed his crimes between 1999 and 2012, abusing his victims while staying in their homes.

When Burrows was in his 20s, he attacked his first victim when she was aged between eight and 10, assaulting her when she got up for a drink in the early hours of the morning.

He assaulted his second victim twice when she was between 10 and 12 years old.

In a statement read out in court, one victim said: “It shouldn’t be necessary, but no child should have to go through what I did.

“I feel like my entire life was taken from me the moment this adult decided to do what he did to me as a child.

“I think the man who did this to me should get what he deserves. The passage of time doesn’t change anything for me and I feel as strong as the day it happened.”

Another victim said in a statement: “Mark’s decision all those years ago has affected my life in many different ways.

“He not only took away my childhood, but he also affected my relationships with other people.

“He took away my self-esteem and confidence and made me feel unlovable.”

Det Sergeant Chris Hughes said Burrows had “manipulated” the two girls when they were “just children”.

“As adults, years after the abuse stopped, they found the courage to report what had happened to them to the police,” he said.

“I would like to commend them for their courage in coming forward and for their conduct throughout this process.”

He added that it was “never too late to report child sexual abuse”, and encouraged anyone who was abused as a child to report it to police.