Febuary 2012 Cheltenham man jailed for sex with teenager FORMER shop manager Steven Pike has been jailed for four years for having sex with a teenage girl. The 42-year-old, who was born in Cheltenham and grew up in the town, was told by the judge that he had been “pushy and overbearing” with his 15-year-old victim. Pike, pictured, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child at an incident on May 17, 2010. At the hearing, Derby Crown Court heard that Pike knew his victim was under the age of 16. He grew up in the Stanwick Gardens area of Cheltenham and attended St Benedict’s Catholic School. He ran a shop in the town which sold jeans and was a manager of skate shop Legends in the Beechwood Shopping Centre around nine years ago. A former friend of the sex offender spoke to the Echo about the news. The Cheltenham man, who did not wish to be named, said: “I have known him for years but he moved away to Derby to manage pubs for Whitbread. There are hundreds of people who know him in Cheltenham. It was a massive shock.” He said the four-year sentence was not enough. “The trouble is he will be out in a couple of years,” he said. It is believed Pike moved from Cheltenham to Cyprus before he went to Derby to run a bar. Prosecutor Mark van der Zwart told the court that Pike’s victim no longer trusted men. The court heard that Pike, who now of no fixed abode in Derby, had originally been charged with rape, which he had denied. The rape charge was ordered to lie on the file. Defending, Sally Hancox said Pike was “very sorry” for what he had done. She said that Pike’s line of work meant he was more inclined to drink alcohol and as a result could go “overboard” with his actions. She said: “He accepts that the damage is not just the embarrassment of that day but also the ongoing consequences of those involved.” Judge John Burgess said that the aggravating factor in Pike’s case was the age difference between him and his victim. “You knew how old she was,” he said. “It is quite plain that you were pushy and overbearing with her.” As well as handing Pike a four-year jail term, Judge Burgess disqualified him for an unlimited time from working with anyone under the age of 16. He also imposed a sexual offences prevention order on Pike, which means he is not allowed to be in the presence of anyone under the age of 16 without a guardian who knows about his conviction.