April 2013 Littlehampton man is sentenced to eight years for sexual assault A Littlehampton man has been sentenced to eight years at Hove Crown Court today (Friday April 12) for sexual offences against a child. Ronald Leslie Boxall, 64, of West Way, Littlehampton, West Sussex was convicted at Hove Crown Court on Wednesday March 13 after a five day trial and was remanded in custody to be sentenced.   Boxall was convicted of five offences of two counts of assault a girl under 13 by penetration with part of your body and three counts of offender 18 or over engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl age 13-15. The offences were first reported to police on August 23, 2011 when the victim confided in her sister-in-law. Boxall was arrested on September 24, 2011 and on February 23, 2012 he was charged with the five offences which spanned five years starting when the girl was 11 in 2006 until she was 15. A trial started on March 5 where he was unanimously found guilty on March 13. On sentencing Boxall to eight years, Judge Niblett said he had taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability and age and failed to understand that she was a child and that he had abused her. The judge also praised the victim for her bravery and the officer in charge of the case. He added that Boxall, who also worked as a night-time cleaner at the Littlehampton railway station, had shown “no remorse” during the abuse and described him as a man who was “devious and capable of deceiving those who trusted him.” Detective Constable Angela De Vivo: “I have worked with the victim from the moment she built up the courage to report this abuse to make sure Boxall was brought to justice. I am happy and relieved, as is the victim, that the jury returned unanimous guilty verdict and that he has been sentenced to eight years. She now feels she can begin to move on and get on with her life. “We take people who report sexual abuse very seriously and will always investigate fully, doing whatever we can to support these victims. Please always report any kind of sexual abuse to police on 101.”