A man has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for sexually abusing a young girl.

Jamie Charles Lewis, 43, of Bath Road in Southsea, was charged with three counts of sexual assault by touching of a girl under 13.

The offences took place in the Portsmouth area between 2014 and 2016.

On Friday 16 January, Lewis was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment at Portsmouth Crown Court following a trial.

He was also made subject of a restraining order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Emily Sargent, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I firstly want to thank the victim in this case for her outstanding bravery in coming forward and speaking to the police about these incidents.

“The defendant will now be in prison for a long time, and I sincerely hope this sentence gives other victims of sexual offences the confidence to bring their case to us.

“No matter how long ago the incident occurred we will do everything we can to investigate and bring offenders to justice.”