February 2017: Now living in Plymouth, Devon March 2009 Bognor man guilty of sexually abusing more young girls A Bognor Regis man has been found guilty of sexually abusing two more young girls Giovani Giazopazzi (52) indecently assaulted the young girls, aged four and eight at the time, on several occasions. His actions were reported to the police in late 2007 after he was accused of carrying out similar assaults on a young boy and two other young girls between 1989 and 1992, for which he was sent to prison for four years in February last year. The girls in this case were already being sexually abused by another man when Giacopazzi carried out his assaults between 1974 and 1977 at an address in Bognor. A relative of the victims said: “I am disgusted by it. The victims have gone through a big ordeal for quite some time. “People should be encouraged to come out with it, they should be allowed to be free of it. “It is the worst offence to do in my book. They should throw away the key.” Giacopazzi said the girls were mistaking him for the man who had already been abusing them. His attacks include touching the girls’ private parts on more than one occasion, licking one of the girl’s private parts, and getting her to touch his private parts. Judge Claudia Ackner said Giacopazzi kept his victims quiet with bribes, threats and told them they would be called ‘dirty liars’ if they told on him. “You took advantage of two young children who were aged four and eight at the time when you knew they were being sexually abused,” It took the jury less than an hour to find him guilty of all ten charges, nine of which were for indecent assault, the other being for indecency with a child. He was sentenced to seven years in total. It will run concurrently with the four years he is currently serving. January 2008 Man jailed for sexual assaults on youngsters A man from Bognor Regis will spend four years in jail after pleading guilty to indecently assaulting children at his home. Giovani Giacopazzi (50) committed several offences against three children – a boy and two girls – who were all under the age of 16 during the early 1990s. Chichester Crown Court heard that Giacopazzi touched the private parts of a young girl as he playfully swung her round and on another occasion licked the girl’s private parts as she lay on a bed On another occasion she was asked to put her hands on his private parts. Another female victim was asked to perform a sexual act on Giacopazzi while he was in his downstairs toilet and on another occasion she recalled being asked into his bedroom and told to perform a sexual act on him. The victims went to the police last August and Giacopazzi was arrested. The court heard that while he was on bail he was taken to hospital after cutting his wrists and throat in a suicide bid. Prosecutor Mike Newbold said that Giacopazzi made comments to his wife that he was ‘guilty as charged’. Giacopazzi pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault against children under 14, two counts of inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency and one count of gross indecency with a child. Judge Anthony Thorpe, sentencing, said that Giacopazzi had taken advantage of his victims and had caused them and their families great hurt. “Offences of sexual depravity against children are always so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence can be justified for them. They can only require custodial sentences,” he said. Giacopazzi was also banned from working with children and will now be listed on the sex offenders register for life.