Stephen Harper 60

Description

Our Child Abuse Investigation Team has seen a Suffolk man jailed for abusing two girls in Essex over 16 years.

Stephen Harper, 60, of Hill Rise in Stowmarket, was accused of assaulting two victims between 2008 and 2024 in the area of Stansted Mountfitchet.

Our officers have carried out an extensive, sensitive investigation since that abuse was reported to us in June 2024, working closely with the victims and their families to make sure they are supported and protected through this process.

Thanks to their statements and the case built by our investigators, the Crown Prosecution Service approved charges for Harper in September 2025.

He appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on 13 January 2026 and has since pleaded guilty to nine counts; five of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, and four of sexual assault.

He’s now been jailed for seven-and-a-half years, will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life, has been given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

'Nightmares about what he did'

In statements submitted to the court one victim said:

Since his arrest I have had nightmares about what he did to me.

Because I couldn’t cope with what happened to me and didn’t know how to process it I spiralled out of control.

I didn’t comprehend the damage I was doing to myself. I closed myself off emotionally and felt lost.

Despite this, she also said she hoped Harper received the mental health support he clearly needed.

'Incredible dignity throughout case'

Detective Siobhan Murphy said:

The two victims in this case have continued to carry themselves with incredible dignity throughout this case, and I’d like to thank them and their families for their support.

Both of them did something incredibly difficult by talking to us about what Harper had done, and with the work of the Child Abuse Investigation Team we have now seen a dangerous man put behind bars.