Horsham man jailed for historic child sex offences

Nigel Smith, 49, of Livingstone Road, Horsham, was sentenced to four and a-half years’ imprisonment when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Friday (February 6).

He was originally charged with seven counts of indecent assault of a child under 16, two counts of indecency with a child and one of actual bodily harm.

In July last year, he was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault, one count of indecency and ABH.

He was found not guilty of two other indecent assault charges and the jury was hung on the four remaining counts.

In October, his appeal against conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

On December 15, he pleaded guilty at a retrial to one of the indecent assault charges and the other counts were left to lie on file. He has been placed on the Violent and Sexual Offender Register (VISOR) for life.

Detective constable Simon Goulding said: “Smith has quite rightly been punished for his crimes and I thank those people who have bravely assisted us and ensured that justice has been done.

“Any such incidents, no matter how historic, will be taken seriously by Sussex Police. Your call will be treated confidentially and sensitively and we urge anyone who has been a victim, irrespective of when, to call us on 101 or email [email protected].”