Luton man jailed 12 years for sexually abusing girl over 50 years ago

Yosef Ben-Miriam, 61, of Runham Close, was convicted of 15 counts of sexual offences, including indecent assault and unlawful sexual intercourse with a young girl, following a five-day trial.

He was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Wednesday, July 10.

The abuse began in 1968 when the girl was only four-years-old and continued until she was 12.

Throughout her life, memories had been triggered and she starting to recall what had happened to her. She disclosed everything to police in 2016, which resulted in Ben-Miriam being arrested in October 2016 and charged with a string of offences.

Detective Constable Helen Green said: “This is a great result which shows it is never too late for justice to be done. I am pleased that this man has finally been made to pay the price for his actions after robbing this innocent girl of her childhood.

“His actions have hugely impacted on the victim’s life, causing her much upset and pain. When the memories started to come back to her and after she had children of her own, she was able to realise the severity of what she had experienced as a young child.

“I would like to praise her for having the bravery to speak out and report this to the police after all these years. I hope this encourages anyone who may have been the victim of a sexual offence or sexual abuse to report it to us – no matter how long ago it happened.

“We take reports of all sexual offences seriously, whether they are recent or not, and we are committed to investigating all cases thoroughly and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

During sentencing, his Honour Judge Foster said: “The defendant sexually abused the victim for eight years and had little, if any, insight into his conduct and that he had caused her an unhappy life. The victim showed immense bravery in coming forward and exposing this crime.”

People can report concerns around child sexual abuse by calling police on 101.

The NSPCC website has help and advice about non-recent abuse, and the NAPAC website also offers support to adult survivors of child abuse.