December 2012

Sex abuser Stephen Goss attacked and threatened young girl in Lincolnshire

A man who sexually abused a young girl, and threatened her with violence if she revealed what was happening, has been jailed for six years at Lincoln Crown Court.

Stephen Goss, who had denied the offences, was convicted by a jury following a trial.

Goss shook his head in an apparent denial as Judge Michael Heath passed sentence.

The Judge told him: “It is no good shaking your head because the jury had little difficulty in convicting you.

“The evidence against you was compelling. What you did to that little girl over that two-year period was despicable.

“Throughout the abuse you ensured her silence by telling her that if she told anybody you would kill them all.

“She believed you would do that. An additional aggravating feature in this case is the threats you made to prevent her reporting the abuse.”

Goss, 42, of Orchard Close, Cherry Willingham, denied six charges of sexual assault between 2004 and 2006 but was found guilty following a jury trial.

He claimed he was innocent and that the girl had been encouraged to make up allegations against him.

The jury heard that the girl was just 8 years old when Goss began abusing her.

Edna Leonard, defending, said Goss had no previous convictions for anything similar and his last conviction for any offence was six years ago.