Hampshire man Michael Smith jailed over 'awful' sexual abuse of young boy on the Isle of Wight

Sandown resident Michael Norman Smith, 58, appeared before Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday to receive his sentence of six and a half years in prison.

Smith had initially denied two counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child, before admitting his guilt to all the offences during his trial in February.

During the trial at Isle of Wight Crown Court, jurors heard how Smith sexually assaulted a boy between 1997 and 2003, beginning when the child was under the age of 10.

Smith, who lived at Willow Way at the time of the offences, would often take children swimming and on trips to the cinema, as well as have them over to his address and would allow them to play computer games.

In 2019, police were contacted by a man who stated that Smith had sexually abused him at the Willow Way address during this period when he was a child.

Detective Sergeant Katy Lee, who led the investigation, saluted the courage of the victim, who has ensured a dangerous ‘predator’ has been put behind bars.

DS Lee said: ‘Smith is a danger to children, and he groomed and manipulated the child in this case for his own perverse gratification.

‘The boy has had to deal with the impact of this abuse for the remainder of his childhood and into adult life. I want to commend him for now finding the courage to come forward and face his abuser.

‘His courage has ensured that a predator is now behind bars where he belongs, and Smith will pay the price for these awful crimes.’

Police encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to contact officers on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence.

For more information and contact details relating to sexual abuse support services working with the police, visit hampshire.police.uk.