West Midlands sexual predator jailed for historic child sex offences

Craig Marshall has been jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday.

The 40-year-old from Birmingham pleaded guilty to 17 offences of child sexual assault including attempted rape.

The charges date back to between 2008 and 2014, but the victim bravely came forward in 2021, and Marshall was arrested.

The victim described how it has affected her whole childhood and now still continues to affect her into her adult life.

DC Beth Felton, from the Public Protection Unit, said: "It’s not to be underestimated the impact this has had on the victim. Throughout the process she has shown great courage and fortitude.

"This case was historic in nature, and the prison sentence reflects that.

"If an incident is of historic nature, this is not a barrier to achieving a positive outcome for the victim, and we want to encourage anyone who is a survivor of sexual abuse to report it.

"We have a team of specialist officers to help you and to guide you through the legal process.

"We also work with a range of support groups that can offer advice.

"This victim bravely came forward to speak with officers and I hope that it will encourage other sexual abuse survivors to do the same."

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "It is important to note that survivors of sexual offences are protected by law and have life-long anonymity.

"To speak to our Public Protection Unit, call 101 or contact RSVP (Rape & Sexual Violence Project) on 0121 643 4136."