August 2009 Weymouth child sex attacker jailed for 13 years A CHILD sex attacker has been jailed for 13 years for abusing a girl from the age of five. Stephen John Brown, 47, was told by a judge that he ‘trapped’ the youngster and left her with ‘nowhere to go’. Former businessman Brown, of Rodwell Road, Weymouth, had denied nine charges of indecent assault, two charges of assault by penetration and a charge of sexual assault. But a jury at Dorchester Crown Court found him guilty by a majority verdict on all 12 charges. Judge Gary Burrell told Brown: “You abused her over a long period of time from when she was a young child. She was trapped with nowhere to go.” Now 16, the girl told the court that it started with Brown touching her inappropriately and when she got older things got worse. She said she didn’t come forward until last year because he was a violent man and she was petrified of what he might to do her. The abuse continued until she was 13. Brown received seven years in prison for nine charges of indecent assault, 13 years for two charges of assault by penetration and three years for a charge of sexual assault, all to run concurrently. DC Natasha Lawrence, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team based in Weymouth, said the right verdict had been reached. She added: “The victim showed her bravery by sitting in front of the jury in court and giving her evidence without a screen. “I believe that the right verdict has been reached and she can finally start rebuilding her life and moving on.” Judge Burrell also praised the girl for giving evidence in court. He told Brown: “She had to give evidence in court, reliving the horror of what she had been through and what you had done to her.” Former business owner Brown was placed on the child sex offenders’ register.