Sex offender jailed for four years
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Stephen Agate, 34, a factory worker, of London Road, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday July 2.
At a previous hearing, he had pleaded guilty to causing an underage girl to engage in sexual activity, and to sexual activity with the same girl.
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Hide AdHe pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault, and the charge was left to lie on the court file
Agate was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, severely restricting his access to children, and will be a registered sex offender for life.
Sentencing, Judge David Rennie said that Agate’s crimes ‘had a bad impact on that little girl’.
Detective Constable Dani Flude, of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said Agate had ‘exploited the natural innocence and vulnerability of a young child’ for his own sexual gratification.
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Hide Ad“His guilty pleas, and the court’s agreement not to proceed with the other offences, has achieved justice for the victim without her having to give evidence - even though special measures would have been provided by the court to help her through that process.”
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