A paedophile has been jailed after sexually assaulting a child over a period of two years. 

Stephen Cooper of The Drove, Blackfield was jailed for 16 years at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday. 

The 61-year-old had previously been found guilty of a number of offences relating to the sexual abuse of a young child between March 2021 and March 2023. 

The girl was aged between four and six at the time. 

READ MORE: Southampton paedophile was talking to children on TikTok

Following an extensive investigation, Cooper was charged with four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13 and sexual assault of a girl under 13 by penetration. 

He was also accused of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. 

Cooper denied the offences, which all took place in Basingstoke, but was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court. 

Cooper was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court.Cooper was convicted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court.

Detective Constable Fiona Leman-Lawrie, from the Northern Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “It took a tremendous amount of courage for the young victim in this case to tell us what had happened to her.

“I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the bravery both she and her family showed throughout the investigation and court process.

“Without them we would not have been able to secure this outcome and we would sincerely like to thank them.

“While I know this result won’t rid the victim and her family of the memories of what Cooper did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm any other children.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“If anything of this nature has happened to you, please come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.”

Anyone who has any concerns about child abuse should contact police on 101, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Anyone who has experienced abuse in childhood, or is concerned about a child, can contact the NSPCC helpline, confidentially, on 0808 800 5000.

Alternatively, you can email help@nspcc.org.uk. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.