Shefford man jailed for sexually assaulting young girl and possession of thousands of indecent images

Indecent images of children and extreme pornography were found on his digital devices
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A man from Shefford has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a young girl and possession of thousands of indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

Justin Sandilands, 43, of Church Street, Shefford, was jailed at Luton Crown Court for a child sexual offence dating back to 2019.

The assault came to light when his young victim told a family member, who then informed police.

Justin SandilandsJustin Sandilands
Justin Sandilands

And when he was arrested, police seized a number of digital devices - which contained thousands of indecent images of children and extreme pornography.

Sandilands was sentenced to 42 months for one count of sexual assault, and was also sentenced to a further six months for possession of indecent images offences.

Investigating Officer Michela Zasada, from the force's Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT), said: “Sandilands not only actively looked for and downloaded thousands of images of children, he also assaulted a young girl for his own sexual gratification.

“I applaud the courage of the victim who came forward and supported our investigation which resulted in Sandilands being brought to justice.

"He will now spend time behind bars where he will be unable to cause any more harm.”

If you have concerns about child sexual abuse, or you have been a victim, please report it to Bedfordshire Police on 101.

Parents can visit the Parents Protect website which is run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, for lots of useful resources to help prevent child sexual abuse.

You can also visit the NSPCC website, which has a wealth of information on how to teach your child about staying safe from sexual abuse, including the PANTS underwear rule:

P – Privates are private

A – Always remember your body belongs to you

N – No means no

T – Talk about secrets that upset you

S – Speak up, someone can help