Staffordshire 2020-10-21

Oliver Cooper 31

Paedophile molested two girls, 6, and photographed naked children.

Profile Picture
Offender ID: O-2414

Locations

Hopton, Staffordshire

Description

A former scout leader has been locked up for sex assault on two six-year-old girls at camps he helped to run.

Paedophile Oliver Cooper attacked the youngsters while working as a Beaver Scout leader more than two years ago.

Cooper, a former soldier in the Household Cavalry for four years, was arrested after a child told police he had touched her inapropriately.

Images and videos of children getting undressed in private were later found on his phone and laptop.

Now the 27-year-old, formerly of Hopton, Stafford, has been jailed after being guilty of two counts of sexual assault on a girl aged six, sexual assault on another girl also aged six, one count of taking indecent photographs of a child and 13 counts of voyeurism.

He was sentenced to six years in prison at Lewes Crown Court.

Jailing Cooper and imposing a lifetime ban on working with children and vulnerable people, Judge Stephen Mooney described the former student's crimes as a 'colossal breach of trust'.

Judge Mooney also noted Cooper's lack of remorse.

Detectives from the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigation Unit probed Cooper after a child two years ago bravely came forward to say she had been sexually touched by the scout leader.

He was arrested and indecent images and videos of children getting undressed in private were found on his phone and laptop.

During the course of the investigation, a further child came forward to say she had also been sexually assaulted.

Detective Constable Rees Hopcraft, from Sussex Police, said: "The young girls involved showed tremendous bravery throughout the investigation and were supported by specially trained officers.

"Despite the overwhelming evidence, Cooper continued to protest his innocence and thus forced the victims to give evidence, which was done via a video link to the court.

"In sentencing, Judge Stephen Mooney commented on Cooper's lack of remorse and the 'colossal breach of trust' involved.

"Prior to his scouting role he was a law student at Sussex University, and a soldier in the Household Cavalry where he served for four years in the UK."

Police said the Scouts Association had given full-co-operation, and that parents of all children who were in the scouting group have been kept informed. There is no current safeguarding risk to any child.

Cooper will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last until further court notice severely restricting his access to children, and was disqualified from working with children and vulnerable people for life.

Commenting on the case, an NSPCC spokesman said: "By committing these horrific crimes, Cooper betrayed the trust placed in him by the children he was supposed to protect, as well as their parents and guardians.

"It will have taken great bravery for one of the girls to tell police what Cooper had done, but her actions have helped bring this appalling abuser to justice.

"It is vital that his victims are now receiving all the help and support they need to move on from his awful offences."

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