A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for a year after he tried to force a girl of primary-school age to perform a sex act and touched her indecently.
Jose Guilherme Vieira Da Costa was 12 at the time of the first offence and 16 at the time of the second.
He kissed the girl and attempted to force her to perform a sex act when she was six years old, and touched her indecently when she was aged 11.
His offences came to light after the victim reported the assaults to a teacher, who then contacted the States police.
The victim was supported throughout by Dewberry House Sexual Assault Referral Centre, an independent sexual violence advisor from Jersey Domestic Abuse Support.
Da Costa was charged in March last year. He denied the offences but was found guilty of committing an unlawful sexual act with a child and procuring acts of gross indecency, following a trial last year.
Delivering her verdict in November, Magistrate Bridget Shaw said there were rarely any eye-witnesses to sexual offences, but added: “I am satisfied that the victim was a compelling witness who told the truth.”
At the Magistrate’s Court this week, he was sentenced to a year in prison and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. He was also given a five-year restraining order.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Charles Vibert said: “We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are in a position to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process.”
