Woman sentenced for historical sexual offences against a child

A woman has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for sexual offences against a child

Carrie Cooper, aged 53, was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 following a trial at St Albans Crown Court

The court heard how she abused the victim a number of times between 2007 and 2011

A woman has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for sexual offences against a child.

Carrie Cooper, aged 53, formerly of HMP Parkhurst, Isle of Wight, was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 following a trial at St Albans Crown Court. She was sentenced on Friday, October 19.

The court heard how Cooper had sexually assaulted a young girl a number of times at an address in Hertford between 2007 and 2011, when the victim was between the ages of seven and 11.

Now aged 18, the victim first disclosed the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Cooper during a conversation with a friend when she was 16.

She described how she had not spoken to anyone about what happened to her because Cooper had told her to keep it a secret.

Cooper, who was already serving time in prison for previous sexual offences, was interviewed by police in September 2016 and denied the allegations before pleading not guilty to nine counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, and eight counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration. She was later found not guilty of all eight of the penetration offences.

Detective Constable Martin Macnish, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “The victim has carried this for so many years without telling anyone about what happened to her. I want to commend her courage in disclosing Cooper’s crimes so that justice could be served.

“She has been extremely brave throughout this whole process and I hope this result will bring her some sense of closure, and enable her to move forward with her life.

“If you have suffered sexual abuse, no matter how historic, I want to reassure you that we will always take your report seriously and do all we can to investigate.”

Anyone in Hertfordshire who has experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence can contact Herts SARC for practical and emotional support. The centre can arrange face-to-face support, sexual health referrals, and provide forensic medical examinations for those who want them. To contact Herts SARC, call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 178 4448, email Herts.SARC@nhs.net or visit www.hertssarc.org