Thomas Sykes

Thomas Sykes, 34, of Beech Grove, Acomb, was convicted of sexual assault at York Crown Court and sentenced to 27 months in prison. The court heard that Sykes assaulted the young girl and then instructed her to remain silent about the abuse. The victim kept the secret for years, carrying the burden of what happened.

The case came to light only after the girl’s primary school ran a session as part of the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe programme. During the lesson, she realised the severity of what had occurred; she later described feeling sick at the understanding that what Sykes had done was wrong. Empowered by the programme, she disclosed the abuse to her mother.

Emma Grishin, NSPCC Schools Service Manager, said: “The NSPCC’s schools service is a valuable resource to teach children about abuse, how to stay safe and what to do and where to go if something feels wrong. It aims to support children to feel empowered to speak out about anything related to abuse.” Ms Grishin added, “In this case the girl’s participation in Speak out, Stay safe has empowered her to disclose to her mother what happened to her a few years ago which has directly led to Sykes being jailed for child sexual abuse.”

Following the disclosure, police were contacted and Sykes was arrested. He denied the charge but was convicted by a jury. North Yorkshire Police were responsible for the investigation. Sykes is now serving a 27-month custodial sentence, bringing a measure of justice for his victim after years of silence.