MICHEAL SMEE SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS IN HERTFORDSHIRE FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST CHILDREN
A former teacher and football coach from Stevenage, Micheal Smee, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault offences involving a child.Smee was found guilty of raping a child under 13 years old at Cambridge Crown Court.
He also pleaded guilty to five additional counts of sexual activity with a child, with these offences spanning from January 2013 to April of last year.
In addition to his prison sentence, Smee will serve an extra eight years on extended licence.
He is required to serve a minimum of 10 years before he can be considered for parole.
During the sentencing, the judge stated, "I am in no doubt whatsoever that you pose a significant risk to members of the public, particularly young boys.
You are every parent’s nightmare." Smee will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and a restraining order has been issued to prevent him from contacting his victim or any family members.
Detective Constable Zoe Maddison, the officer leading the investigation, commented: "Smee abused his position of trust as a teacher and football coach to groom his young victim over a significant period of time.
The victim’s family trusted Smee, and they have been left devastated by what has happened.
I hope that, following Smee’s conviction and his substantial prison sentence, his victim, with support, can begin to rebuild his life and move forward.
I would also like to commend the victim for his bravery throughout the criminal process." Frances Bush of the Crown Prosecution Service added: “Smee exploited his position of trust and his victim's love of sport to commit these terrible acts.
Thanks to the victim’s courage in coming forward and the efforts of dedicated detectives and prosecutors, he will be prevented from offending again.” Detective Inspector Lynda Coates from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Joint Child Protection Investigation Team stated: “It takes extraordinary courage for victims of sexual offences to report these crimes to the police.
I want to reassure the public that Hertfordshire Constabulary has specially trained officers to support victims in such cases.
While we have a dedicated team for investigating these offences, we understand that victims may feel more comfortable reaching out to other agencies first.”
