Alan Owens 53

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A man who spent years subjecting a schoolgirl to sexual assaults has been jailed still protesting his innocence.

Alan Owens abused the girl in the 1990s and then intimidated her into not reporting the offending. The victim has been left suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and night terrors, but in a statement read to the court she said she was grateful to the 12 strangers on the jury who believed her at trial adding: "The best thing I have ever given myself is the courage to speak up".

Owens had denied indecent assault of a child and attempted rape of a child but was convicted at trial at Cardiff Crown Court. The 52-year-old returned to the dock on Thursday to be sentenced.

The court heard the offending happened in the 1990s when the victim was of primary school age, and involved repeated sexual assaults over the course of around four years. The offending also included the attempted rape of the child. The court heard Owens intimidated the youngster into not revealing what was going on, and it was not until she was an adult and a mother to a daughter that she felt able to report him.

In an impact statement which was read to the court by prosecution counsel Julia Cox, the victim said she had spent years wondering "why me?" and wondering about what she had done to deserve what happened to her. She said Owens "tainted and took away my childhood" and left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and night terrors, and needing medication to allow her to get on with her life. She said she was grateful that 12 strangers had believed her story and given her justice after so many years of suffering, adding: "The best thing I have ever given myself is the courage to speak up".

Alan Roy Owens, of Maple Avenue, Brackla, Bridgend, had previously been convicted of seven counts of indecent assault of a child and one count of attempted rape of a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has two previous convictions for unrelated offending - a public order matter, and driving with excess alcohol.