Bedford child sex abuser jailed for five years

A man who committed a number of sexual offences against a teenage girl has been jailed for five years.

Detectives praised the bravery of the victim for coming forward to report the actions of Stuart Tomey, 36, of Rutland Road, Bedford.

He was arrested in December 2020 after a number of sexual offences, which took place between April and November of the same year, were disclosed to the police.

Tomey pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was sentenced on Wednesday (June 16) to 57 months for each count of sexual activity with a child, which will run concurrently. He received a further three months for breaching his bail conditions, totalling five years imprisonment.

In her statement the victim said: “The impact that this has had on me affects me every day. I really struggled with accepting that I was a victim and blamed myself for what happened, but as the time has gone on I learned that this was not my fault.”

Detective Constable Rebecca Goodman, from Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team, which investigated the offences, said: “Tomey’s selfish and callous offending has resulted in him receiving a lengthy prison sentence.

“Our force takes reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and we are committed to protecting vulnerable people in our county, and especially in cases which involve children.

“This comes after a second court case concluded this month and resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for child sex offences.

“Hopefully this will encourage further victims of such offences to come forward, no matter when it happened. We will believe you and investigate your report, and we will work with our partner agencies to find the right support for you.”