Chapel-en-le-Frith man jailed for child sex offences

Steven Dawson, of Chapel-en-le-Frith, was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Thursday February 25 and jailed for six and a half years.

The 59-year-old, who lives on an unnamed road between Blackbrook and Sparrowpit, had pleaded guilty to a number of offences at an earlier hearing.

These were: causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual assault of a child, and assault by penetration.

The offences took place in Chapel between December 2019 and December 2020, against a girl who was under the age of 13.

As well as the jail term, Dawson was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. This prohibits him from having any contact with any girl under the age of 16, amongst other conditions.

He has also been banned from working with children and will be required to sign the sex offenders register.

Detective Constable Heidi Tollervey who led the investigation, said: “I want to express my thanks and praise the young girl in this case who showed great courage throughout the investigation.

“In doing so not only has she seen Steven Dawson put behind bars for what he did to her, but I hope she will have also given confidence to others who may have been affected by similar crimes to know that they are not alone and can speak out.

“Although nothing can change what happened to her, I hope this sentencing provides some closure for her to move forward with her life.

“To anyone reading this who may have also suffered sexual assault or abuse, whether now or in the past, I urge you -- please speak to someone. There is help available, whether you wish to involve the police or not.

“If you do feel able to contact us, you will be listened to and we will investigate and support you through the process.”

Anyone affected by a similar crime can contact SV2 at www.sv2.org.uk or call their advice line on 01773 746 115 (open 7 days a week 8am – 5pm).

You can contact Sv2 regardless of whether you wish to report an incident to police.

Derbyshire police can be contacted via the online contact form at www.derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us or by calling 101.