Richard Brown 60

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A man who indecently assaulted a young girl in the 1980s has been brought to justice following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Richard Brown, aged 60, of Kelmscott Avenue, Manston, was convicted of two counts of indecent assault against the victim after being found guilty by unanimous jury verdicts following a trial at Leeds Crown Court, which concluded on June 18.

The victim came forward in 2022 to disclose the abuse after hearing Brown was being investigated by the police on suspicion of possession of indecent images. The images investigation was not able to progress to charge.

Specialist officers at Leeds District Safeguarding Unit obtained a detailed account with the victim in a video recorded interview as part of a comprehensive investigation into the offences. Brown was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of indecent assault against a girl aged under 14.

The victim was granted special measures for the trial, which meant her video interview was considered as her main evidence and screens were used in the courtroom to keep her out of view of the offender and the public gallery.

Today, Brown was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order preventing any unsupervised contact with a female child under 16.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register and the victim was granted an indefinite Restraining Order banning Brown from having any contact with her.  

Detective Inspector Thomas Crosfill, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said:

“The victim in this case has had to live for many years with the knowledge of what Brown did to her as a child and the traumatic impact that has had on her life.

“When she was ready to come forward and disclose what had happened, specialist safeguarding officers were able to give her all the support necessary to give a detailed account and obtain the best evidence possible to secure these convictions against Brown.

“We hope it will give her some degree of comfort to know that he has now had to answer for his actions and been held criminally responsible for the harm he caused.

“We will always treat any reports of offences of this nature very seriously and do everything we can to get justice for victims and protect others from harm.

“We hope the successful outcome of this case will help other victims of similar offences to have the confidence to come forward, knowing they will be supported throughout the investigation and the court process.”