Peter Horsfield was found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault of children under 13, including one charge of assault by penetration of a child under the age of 13, committed between 2004 and 2021.
Horsfield, of the Barnby Dun area, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday 25 November where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Horsfield has also been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order following his release.
Horsfield’s horrific offending came to light when one of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, confided to her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by Horsfield over a number of years.
Over a week-long trial which started to 21 November, the jury heard how Horsfield groomed his four victims, who were aged between six and 11 years old at the time, using Valentine’s Day cards and chocolates.
Detective Sergeant Lucy Garside, who led the investigation into Horsfield’s crimes, explained: “Horsfield sought opportunities to get the children alone before taking advantage of their innocence and sexually assaulting them. He subjected his victims to awful sexual abuse, which has had a devastating impact on their lives and wellbeing.
“I would like to commend Horsfield’s young victims for their bravery in speaking out about what was undoubtedly a hugely upsetting and frightening thing to happen to them. They have shown exceptional courage and strength to not only come forward to make the initial report to us, but then to support our ongoing investigation and relive what happened to them, is nothing short of heroic.
“I would also like to thank Investigations Officer, Laura Orgill, for her superb work on this case from the outset. Whilst the sentence can never undo Horsfield’s atrocious actions towards these children, I hope it can be the first steps towards helping them to feel safe again.”
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