November 2010 Taxi driver is jailed for sexual abuse of 12-year-old girl TAXI driver Brian Fletcher has been locked up for four years for sexually abusing a schoolgirl. The 63-year-old befriended his victim, who was 12 when the two years of abuse began, and “groomed” her by buying her presents. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that Fletcher, pictured below, would pick the girl up from school in his minibus, where some of the abuse took place. Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, said: “The victim was effectively groomed by the defendant. “He would regularly take her to and from school in his taxi and she would accompany him on jobs in his minibus. “He would regularly give her money and buy her things.” The court heard that Fletcher also paid for his victim to join a gym, where more abuse took place. His offences came to light when he asked a colleague to fix his computer and the files were transferred on to an iPod. The iPod was then sold and the buyer discovered it contained indecent photographs, including some of the victim. Mr Ahuja said: “The police were called in. The images found on the defendant’s computer included a number of lawful photographs of the victim and 12 illegal images.” The court heard that the photographs were all classed as level one – the least serious of five levels of indecency. Joanne Wallbanks, mitigating, said: “The defendant has no relevant previous convictions. “It’s plain these offences took place at a time of the defendant’s life when he was having to cope with a number of factors – his wife’s illness, the demise of their relationship, and he had also been through bankruptcy. “The defendant doesn’t justify his actions as being in any way appropriate.” Fletcher, of Ravenna Way, Longton, pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual activity with a child and making indecent photos of a child. Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said he felt Fletcher posed a high risk of causing serious harm to children and passed an eight-year sentence for the protection of the public. He said: “This was sustained and repetitive abuse of a young girl over a significant period of time, and carried out in a variety of locations. “You also continue to put some blame on her for in some way encouraging you, and that’s worrying. It seems to me you are significantly in denial in relation to this offending.” Fletcher will spend four years in custody and four years on licence. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life and banned from working with children. The 222 days he has spent on remand will be deducted from his sentence.