Steven Freitas 34

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A five-year jail sentence for a child rapist has allowed his victim to move on, she told the Watford Observer.

Steven Freitas, 34, of Broomfield Rise in Abbots Langley, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday (June 10) after being convicted of one count of rape and two counts of assault by penetration.

For each count, the victim was under the age of 13.

The 34-year-old was convicted on Tuesday, February 18, following a trial at St Albans Crown Court.

He committed the crimes in the Three Rivers area between 2004 and 2007, according to a spokesperson for Herts Police.

Having read out a victim impact statement in court, a woman who had been a victim of Freitas told the Watford Observer “we were all happy with the outcome and glad to be able to move on”.

Her mother said that she was “pleased” with the result, having thanked Herts Police for their hard work securing the conviction in February.

At the time of the conviction, she added that the family hope it “inspires other historical abuse victims to come forward and seek the support they need for closure”.

Detective Constable Nathalie Zappia, who led the investigation into the case, said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the victim for her unwavering bravery in reporting Steven Freitas’ heinous actions to the police, and for giving evidence during the trial.

“Freitas has consistently denied his involvement and pleaded innocence, but the victim is now safe in the knowledge that he will be spending time behind bars.

“While the impact of his crimes will stay with her for the rest of her life, I hope this provides her with some closure and a chance to move on and rebuild.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say that becoming a victim of sexual assault is never your fault. If you’ve been a victim, no matter how long ago the offence occurred, please report it to police.”