Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones, a 45-year-old resident of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, was sentenced to 16 years in prison at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, 17 December, following convictions for serious sexual offences against two young girls. The offences occurred between 2007 and 2008, during which Jones, who has a sexual fetish for nappies, committed the abuses while wearing a nappy. Despite pleading not guilty to four counts of sexual offences, a jury found him guilty after two trials spanning this year and the previous one.

The court heard harrowing victim impact statements from the mothers of the two victims. One statement, read on behalf of an eight-year-old girl at the time of the assault, detailed the profound trauma inflicted: 'When the sexual assault happened, it was the summer I turned eight years old. I was too scared to tell anyone because he said he'd kill me and I believed him. His face traumatises me in my sleep and I suffer from night terrors. I struggle to deal with the emotional pain.' The victim described ongoing effects, including an attempted overdose and self-harm, and expressed relief at the conviction: 'I feel sad that this sexual assault has dominated my life for so many years. I'm glad I was believed and that he has now been convicted of something he thought he got away with.'

The second victim's statement highlighted the manipulation involved: 'He said it was a game. I was small and defenceless. I have seen things nobody should have to see and can't forget them. I gave evidence because I felt a moral duty to do so for any future victims. I'm no longer embarrassed or ashamed. I'm proud I was able to look the defence in the eye. He is a danger to society.' These accounts underscored the long-term psychological impact on the victims, with the offences only coming to light after several years.

In addition to the sexual offences, Jones pleaded guilty to two breaches of an interim sexual harm prevention order in April of the current year. These breaches involved failing to register new mobile phones and downloading and subsequently deleting apps such as Tinder, Kik, and Telegram. John Simmons, mitigating for Jones, acknowledged the gravity of the offences: 'The offences speak for themselves. There's very little I can say in the face of his denial. He was in the Army for time. He has been a hard-working man. In prison he spends a lot of time in Bible study and at chapel. He feels his faith will sustain him in prison and that God will judge him. It is an enormous fall from grace.'

Judge Maria Lamb, presiding over the sentencing, addressed Jones directly: 'You took the girl into the bedroom and decided to involve her in your nappy fetish. It was a sexual fetish. It took a number of years for these offences to come to light. It is quite evident to me that the affects have been profound.' The sentence comprised 13 years of immediate custody, with an additional three years on extended licence. Jones was also made subject to indefinite notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order. The case was reported by Toby Oliver for the Oxford Mail, with Thames Valley Police involved in the investigation.