An 80-year-old man from Tewkesbury has been found guilty of child sexual abuse offences which he committed around 30 years ago.
A jury found Michael Thomas Davies guilty of the charges following a four-day trial at Gloucester Crown Court.
The court heard that Davies sexually assaulted the child on a number of occasions and raped the same child on a separate occasion.
Following an investigation by Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Criminal Investigations Department, Davies was charged with one count of rape and four counts of indecent assault.
Davies, of Knights Way, denied the allegations throughout the investigation and trial, however on Thursday 25 September a jury unanimously found him guilty of all of the offences.
He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Thursday 16 October.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Emma Smith said: “Davies groomed, raped and sexually abused the child when he was aged in his 50s.
“I would like to thank the victim for her perseverance and courage in reporting what he did to her.
“She had contacted the police in the past but felt at that time she was not able to proceed with the prosecution. However, in 2022 she decided she wanted the investigation to go ahead and the case was reopened with Davies subsequently being charged.
“This case shows that you can report incidents or choose to proceed with a prosecution at a time when you want to and feel comfortable in doing so. It is about victims and survivors having a choice.
“We will investigate offences that have been committed a number of years ago and this case shows that justice can still be secured years later.”
If someone has sexually assaulted you, help is available, and police have specially trained officers who investigate these type of offences.
Call 999 in an emergency, report by calling 101 or online here: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/
First Light provides support for all victims and survivors of sexual violence, for more information visit: https://www.firstlight.org.uk/
