Man who abused child jailed for ten years

Buy photos » Martin Upfield has been jailed for ten years. (s)

A RONKSWOOD man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for abusing a young girl over a period of six years.

Martin Upfield, 41, of Liverpool Road, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Friday (January 20) after he was found guilty of 15 counts of sexual activity with a child on January 13 at the same court following a trial.

His victim was abused from the age of eight to when she was 14 and she came forward and contacted the police as an adult in 2010 about the abuse she had suffered.

Acting Detective Inspector Martin May, who leads the south Worcestershire Public Protection Unit, said: "Upfield subjected a young girl to sustained sexual abuse for many years and this was committed on a weekly basis.

"I would like to thank her for having the bravery to contact us and then to persevere with supporting the efforts of West Mercia Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to charge and prosecute Upfield.

"I hope that seeing the likes of Upfield convicted and imprisoned for many years will help other victims of sexual abuse to have the confidence to take steps to end their suffering and get in touch with the police.

"Even if the abuse happened years ago, we will thoroughly investigate it and pursue a prosecution whenever possible."