Judge jails '˜devious' Wick man for molesting young girl

Wick man Ronald Leslie Boxall, 64, was jailed for eight years for serious child sex offences

Ronald Leslie Boxall, 64, of West Way, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court for his part in subjecting a local girl to five years of serious sexual abuse, the court heard.

He was found guilty following a trial last month of two counts of serious sexual assaults on a girl under 13 and three charges of an offender 18 or over committing a serious sexual assault on a girl aged 13-15.

His victim was aged just 11 when the abuse began, in 2006.

Judge Anthony Niblett, sentencing Boxall, told him he had taken advantage of the victim’s vulnerability and age and failed to understand that she was a child and that he had abused her.

He added that Boxall, who also worked as a night-time cleaner at the Littlehampton railway station, had shown “no remorse” during the abuse and described him as a man who was “devious and capable of deceiving those who trusted him.”

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, following the sentencing, the father of the girl, now aged 17, and who, for legal reasons cannot be identified, said the family was “overwhelmed with emotion” following Boxall’s sentencing.

He said: “He was a liar and a horrible person who took advantage of my daughter in the most sickening way.

“He abused our trust and betrayed our family. He is a despicable person and his sentence reflects his crime.”

The offences were first reported to the police on August 23, 2011, when the victim, then aged 16, plucked up the courage to confide in her sister-in-law.

Boxall was arrested on September 24, 2011, and on February 23, 2012, he was charged with the five offences, which spanned five years, starting in 2006 and continued until the girl was 15.

At the end of the seven-day trial, which started on March 5, Boxall was unanimously found guilty by the jury.

Speaking outside the court, following Boxall’s sentencing, Det Con Angela De Vivo, of Worthing CID, said: “I have worked with the victim from the moment she built up the courage to report this abuse to make sure Boxall was brought to justice.

“I am happy and relieved, as is the victim, that the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts and that he has been sentenced to eight years. “She now feels she can begin to move on and get on with her life.”