Man jailed for child sex offences

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a child and other sexual offences.

Jason Newman, 35, of Castle Road, Great Bedwyn, admitted to one count of sexual assault of a child under 13, one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of producing a category B indecent image of a child.

He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court yesterday (14/09) to three years and five months imprisonment.

He will also be required to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Newman’s offences came to light in July 2021, when an email address linked to Newman was found to have uploaded indecent images of children onto the internet.

Newman was arrested and bailed, and in the ensuing investigation further offences were discovered, including sexual assault of a child.

Newman was further arrested in August 2021 and was bailed again. After initially indicating he would plead not guilty, he changed his plea and was sentenced yesterday.

Investigating officer DC Kerry Foster of the Child Internet Exploitation Team said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank and commend the family involved for their patience and bravery in dealing with this case and giving us the evidence to act upon.

“It has been awful for them and I hope that Newman’s sentencing brings a small amount of relief after what they’ve been through.

“During the investigation, Newman tried to blame other people for his actions, attempting to absolve himself of any involvement.

“I’m pleased that he eventually changed his plea and that justice has been served.

“Wiltshire Police will always take incidents of sexual assault and other sexual offences incredibly seriously.

“We have a dedicated team for investigations into individuals using the internet to upload and download indecent images of children and associated exploitation of children.

“If you have information on child sexual exploitation, please report it to us via 101 or online.”