Man jailed for child sex offences – Abingdon

Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been jailed for non-recent child sex offences.

John Westland, aged 61, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to ten years in prison yesterday (16/12) following a five day trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Westland was found guilty of two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl, aged under 13-years-old.

The offences relate to incidents in the late 1990s, where Westland subjected his victim to multiple indecent assaults.

He was voluntarily interviewed in December 2021, and charged on 13 May 2022.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Janet Burchell, said: “John Westland is a dangerous individual who carried out horrific sexual abuse.

 “The victim has shown immense courage and bravery throughout this trial despite the trauma of having to relive what happened to her.

“This sort of crime will never be tolerated and we are pleased that the seriousness of the crimes has been reflected in the sentence.

“I hope that this sentence demonstrates that age is not a barrier to conviction and brings some closure to the victim.”

EC