Barry Jones 57

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A 57-year-old Southampton man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for child sex offences.

Barry Jones, of Granby Grove, was found guilty in January of 19 offences against three victims, all of whom were aged between six and nine when Jones’s offending began.

Jones was reported to police in 2022 and, following an extensive investigation, was charged with the following offences:

• Three counts of rape of a child
• Four counts of sexual assault of a child
• Four counts of sexual activity with a child
• One count of sexual assault by penetration
• Three counts of causing or inciting a child into sexual activity
• One count of indecent assault
• Three counts of making indecent images of children

He pleaded not guilty, however a jury found him guilty on all counts following a two week trial at Southampton Crown Court.

Detective Constable Paul Hills, who led the investigation, said: “It took a tremendous amount of courage for the victims in this case to come forward and tell us what had happened to them at the hands of Jones.

“I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the bravery they have shown, alongside their families, throughout the criminal investigation and court process. Without them we would not have been able to secure this outcome today and we would sincerely like to thank them.

“I am so pleased that justice has now been served, and while this result won’t rid the victims of the memories of what Jones did to them, I truly hope it allows them to move forward with their lives.

“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.

“I would also like to thank everyone who assisted in ensuring that a dangerous predator will now be taken off the streets, including the jury and witnesses in the case.