A man has been jailed for 28 years, following sexual abuse of a young girl more than two decades ago.
Mark Anthony Foster, (62) of Forster Avenue, Weaverham, was found guilty of 11 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, four counts of rape of a girl under 16, four counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14, plus one count of rape of a girl over 16, following a 13-day trial at Chester Crown Court in April.
He was sentenced yesterday to jail and has been made subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim, an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and placed on the sex offender register for life.
Indecent assaults
The court had heard Foster committed a number of indecent assaults and rapes on a girl between 1995 and 2001, when the victim was aged between nine and sixteen.
Cheshire Police became aware of Foster in August 2020 when the victim felt able to disclose what had happened to her.
She reported the offences took place in Northwich by Foster. Over a period of seven years, Foster groomed the victim, subjecting her to multiple indecent assaults and rapes with abuse becoming worse as time went on, Foster even administering the victim with medication before raping her.
In interviews following his arrest, Foster continued to deny the allegations, but was subsequently charged in January 2023.
Violent
DC Paul Beesley, said: “I am grateful for the sentence handed down to Foster, and I hope this can finally bring some sense of closure to the victim, who has had to carry this on her shoulders for more than 20 years.
“The offences which Foster cruelly subjected her to were incredibly violent and persistent, and even after this sustained grooming and abuse, he put her through the stressful process of a trial.
“The offences were some of the most horrific and violent I have seen, and the victim must be credited for her bravery on reporting this abuse to the police and I am pleased she now has the justice she deserves.
“Thankfully, this was the last time she will have to face him, as the jury saw through his lies and he is now serving a lengthy sentence where he can’t do this to anyone else.
“As this case shows, we treat all reports of non-recent sexual offences seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”
Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse – no matter how long ago the incident took place – can report it to Cheshire Police on 101.
