Sex offender jailed after victim bravely comes forward

Andrew Lucas was sentenced to eight years behind bars at Birmingham Crown Court, having been found guilty by a jury at Stafford Crown Court of 10 non-recent child sexual offences.

The court had heard how the 56-year-old, of Church Road in Shareshill in south Staffordshire, abused the survivor a number of years ago before the survivor bravely came forward and told people what happened.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "We brought Lucas in for questioning, where he denied all of the reports.

"Specialist officers worked to support the survivor as much as possible whilst evidence to support the case was gathered, leading to a number of charges being secured against Lucas."

The charges brought up against Lucas were six counts of indecent assault of a boy and four counts of gross indecency with a boy.

Detective Constable Grant Dixon worked on the case and said: “I’m really pleased the evidence we gathered was enough to prove Lucas’ offending and secure justice for the survivor.

“I’d like to comment his tremendous bravery in coming forward and telling us about what happened.

“We’re passionate about supporting those affected by sexual crimes and seeking the toughest punishment possible for those responsible.”

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "If you’re a survivor and want to talk to specially-trained officers in confidence, call us on 101 or message us using Live Chat on our website.

"If you’d like to stay anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."