A MAN convicted of the non-recent sexual abuse of two girls has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Kevin Gleeson, 67, was found guilty last November of 11 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 and one count of gross indecency with a girl under 14.
Following his sentencing at Northampton Crown Court on February 29, police this week praised Gleeson's victims for helping put away 'a dangerous sexual predator'.
Gleeson, of Straws Close, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, was reported to police in August 2020 by his now-adult victims, who revealed he had abused them when they were children.
Officers began an investigation that uncovered how Gleeson had repeatedly assaulted one of the girls and then the other during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Gleeson was subsequently charged but denied all the accusations however, he was found guilty by a jury on all 12 counts.
'Liar'
In a statement on Tuesday, Detective Constable Abigail Kennedy of Northamptonshire Police said Gleeson may have believed he had gotten away with his crimes.
"Kevin Gleeson's repeated abuse of two young children was abhorrent, and I am very glad that he has received a significant prison sentence which reflects the severity of his offending," she said.
"The passage of time may have left Gleeson feeling he had got away with what he did, but thanks to the courage of the two survivors who came forward to report him he has now been proven in court to be both a dangerous sexual predator and a liar.
"Their support throughout our investigation and the court process has been key to securing Gleeson's conviction and I very much hope both the guilty verdicts and sentence help them to continue to heal."
Gleeson was also made subject to the sex offenders' register indefinitely.
