Gary Fox 64

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A St Annes paedophile who repeatedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl while working as a private music tutor in the late 1990s has been jailed for his crimes.

Gary Fox, 62, of Clifton Drive North, was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault at Preston Crown Court in September.

Investigation officer Mick Cross, of Lancashire Police's public protection unit, said: “Gary Fox, a married man, made a deliberate decision to pursue a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. He must have known known that this was wrong, especially as she was his student and he had a duty of care to her. It did not stop him. He effectively groomed and then sexually assaulted a child in order to satisfy his own sexual urges.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the victim for having the courage to effectively re-live her ordeal through these court proceedings. I hope that the conviction and sentence give her some sense that justice has been achieved after all this time and that it gives others who may have suffered such abuse the confidence to come forward and report it to us confident in the knowledge that we will investigate sensitively and professionally, regardless of the time passed or who the alleged perpetrator.”

Fox met his young victim while giving private music lessons. He soon started making inappropriate comments towards her before escalating to physical abuse.
 
Howard Gough, head of the North West CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit said: ‘’Gary Fox was in a position of trust as a music teacher when he exploited a young girl for his own sexual gratification.

“I would like to commend this brave woman for finding the courage to stand up to the man who manipulated and abused her all those years ago, and for her ongoing support of the police investigation and subsequent successful prosecution of him.
“I wish her the best for her future, safe in the knowledge that a very dangerous man is now serving a prison sentence thanks to her strength and fortitude in standing up to him."