Bognor man guilty of sexually abusing girls

Giovani Giazopazzi (52) indecently assaulted the young girls, aged four and eight at the time, on several occasions.

His actions were reported to the police in late 2007 after he was accused of carrying out similar assaults on a young boy and two other young girls between 1989 and 1992, for which he was sent to prison for four years in February last year.

The girls in this case were already being sexually abused by another man when Giacopazzi carried out his assaults between 1974 and 1977 at an address in Bognor.

A relative of the victims said: "I am disgusted by it. The victims have gone through a big ordeal for quite some time.

"People should be encouraged to come out with it, they should be allowed to be free of it.

"It is the worst offence to do in my book. They should throw away the key."

Giacopazzi of Victoria Drive, said the girls were mistaking him for the man who had already been abusing them.

His attacks include touching the girls' private parts on more than one occasion, licking one of the girl's private parts, and getting her to touch his private parts.

Judge Claudia Ackner said Giacopazzi kept his victims quiet with bribes, threats and told them they would be called 'dirty liars' if they told on him.

"You took advantage of two young children who were aged four and eight at the time when you knew they were being sexually abused," she said.

"These offences go back some 34 years, but the evidence against you was clear.

"They have very clear memories of what you had done to them. They tried to block it out for years and years.

"You showed no remorse, and you have shown none since then. You were in a position of trust and you abused it in the grossest possible way.

"You have caused years of distress and suffering for what you did and there can be nothing but revulsion for your behaviour."

It took the jury less than an hour to find him guilty of all ten charges, nine of which were for indecent assault, the other being for indecency with a child. He was sentenced to seven years in total. It will run concurrently with the four years he is currently serving.

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