A 65-year-old man, Brian Cooke Selby Paedophile , has been sentenced to eight years in prison after confessing to many child sexual offences perpetrated in Gloucestershire throughout the 1990s.
Brian Cooke, from Selby, North Yorkshire, was jailed at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday, February 13, after admitting to eight counts of indecent assault on a child aged between six and 16.
The court was informed that the inquiry commenced in 2022 when the victim reported to the police that Brian Cooke had sexually assaulted her on several occasions between 1990 and 2000.
He would provide the victim with food and presents following the abuse and instruct her to remain silent about the incidents.
Brian Cooke was then apprehended by law enforcement and originally refuted the accusations throughout the interrogation.
Subsequent to an inquiry conducted by the Criminal Investigations Department of Gloucestershire Police, he was indicted for the charges.
Prior to sentencing, His Honour Judge Lowe considered Brian Cooke’s seven prior convictions for sexual offences.
In addition to an eight-year prison sentence, Brian Cooke was permanently registered as a sex offender.
In mitigation, Brian Cooke expressed remorse for his transgressions and stated that he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol during the commission of the abuse.
In a statement read out in court, the victim said the traumatic abuse she suffered has had a devastating impact on her life: “I was just a small child when my life changed and I didn’t know why. Why was it me, was I that easy to manipulate? I was only six-years-old. Was this normal?
“For over 34 years I’ve had to live with regret and anxiousness. I went through alcoholism due to depression and medicated due to nightmares and the reliving of my past. I also have PTSD.
“In the end my mental health got so bad it nearly broke my marriage and I had to do something about it, so I made the hardest decision of my life and finally came forward and I was believed and I hope that from me doing this it will bring some closure and help other victims come forward and be heard and believed.
“My childhood was stolen from me and the past is still haunting me; still ruining my adulthood, but with counselling, guidance and help, I will overcome this and I will eventually be able to help people like myself be heard and believed and overcome being a victim of abuse to being a survivor of abuse.”
Detective Constable Helen Goode from the Criminal Investigations Department said: “These are abhorrent crimes that have had a long-lasting effect on the victim. It took immense bravery and courage to report them to us years later and for her to relive those traumatic experiences and I commend her for doing so.
“I hope it brings some reassurance that the man who did this to her is now paying for his crimes and can no longer pose a threat to others as he is behind bars.
“I also hope this will encourage others who may have suffered similar experiences to come forward and report them to us – no matter how long ago the abuse took place.
“When you report these crimes, you will be listened to, you will be believed and we will do all we can to hold these dangerous individuals accountable for their actions”.
If someone has sexually assaulted you, help is available. Police have specially trained officers who can provide support and investigate these type of offences.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.