Swindon man convicted of sexually assaulting young girls

A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for historic sexual assaults on children as young as eight.

Stephen Burrows, also known as Marc, 47, of Fitkin Court, Redhouse, Swindon, Wiltshire, was found guilty of the offenses following a trial in August.

He committed two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, assault by penetration and causing a child to engage in sexual activity, for which he was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday.

He committed crimes between 1999 and 2012, taking advantage of his victims while staying in their homes.

When Burrows was in his 20s, he attacked his first victim when she was aged between eight and ten, then attacked her when she got up for a drink in the early morning.

He attacked his second victim twice when she was between the ages of 10 and 12.

In a statement read in court, one of the victims said: “It goes without saying, but no child should have to go through what I did.

“I feel like my whole life was taken away from me the moment this adult decided to do to me what he did to me when I was a child.

“I feel like the man who did this to me should get what he deserves – the passage of time doesn’t change anything for me and I feel it as strongly as the day it happened.”

Another victim said in a statement: “Mark’s decision many years ago has affected my life in many different ways.

“Not only did it rob me of my childhood, but it affected my relationships with other people.

“He took away my self-esteem, my self-confidence and made me feel unable to be loved.”

Sergeant Chris Hughes said Burrows “manipulated” both girls when they were “just kids”.

“As adults, many years after the violence ended, they found the courage to report what happened to them to the police,” he said.

“I would like to commend them for their courage in coming forward and their behavior throughout the entire process.”

He added that “it is never too late to report child sexual abuse” and encouraged anyone who experienced childhood abuse to report it to the police.