September 2023

Fareham child abuser jailed for 26 years

A child abuser whose offending left a ‘scar on the soul of the community’ in Fareham has been sentenced to 26 years in prison after repeatedly raping and abusing a primary school aged girl

Stephen Lovelock, aged 61, was charged with 15 offences relating to the abuse of a girl in Fareham, following an investigation by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT):

• Two counts of rape of a child under 13

• One count of attempted rape of a child under 13

• Two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13

• Three counts of sexual activity with a child

• Four counts of assault by penetration of a child under 13

• Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity

• One count of taking indecent photographs of a child

He denied the charges, but was convicted of all of them on 14 July this year at a trial which took place at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The court heard that Lovelock, of no fixed abode, abused the child over a number of years between 2015 and 2022, beginning when the child was under the age of 13.

The girl bravely found the courage to report this to police in April 2022 and Lovelock was arrested two days later following enquiries.

At Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday 1 September), His Honour Judge Ashworth told the court that what the jurors heard during the trial leaves “a scar on the soul of the community”, before jailing Lovelock for 26 years.