Sheffield paedophile is jailed after his brave victim recites an emotional poem

A sex-offender who molested a woman when she was a very young girl has been jailed after his brave victim recited a moving poem about her terrible ordeal.
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Norman Copeland, aged 53, formerly of Edensor Road, Fir Vale, Sheffield, was found guilty after a trial of two counts of indecent assault against a child and two counts of indecency with the same child during a six-year period in the 1990s when the youngster was aged between five and 10-years-old.

Sheffield Crown Court heard during a sentencing hearing on February 22 how Copeland repeatedly abused the youngster, with each of the charges representing multiple incidents of sexual activity.

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The complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court she had been scared to come forward as a child but she has now done so as an adult in a courageous effort to protect other youngsters.

Pictured is paedophile Norman Copeland, aged 53, formerly of Edensor Road, near Fir Vale, Sheffield, who has been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to eight years of custody after he was found guilty after a trial of two counts of indecent assault against a child and two counts of indecency against the same child.Pictured is paedophile Norman Copeland, aged 53, formerly of Edensor Road, near Fir Vale, Sheffield, who has been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to eight years of custody after he was found guilty after a trial of two counts of indecent assault against a child and two counts of indecency against the same child.
Pictured is paedophile Norman Copeland, aged 53, formerly of Edensor Road, near Fir Vale, Sheffield, who has been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to eight years of custody after he was found guilty after a trial of two counts of indecent assault against a child and two counts of indecency against the same child.

She said: “I feel like I am baring my soul to strangers but I have had to push myself to do it because I want to protect other children.”

The complainant added: “I would like to say for over 25 years I have lived with a battle inside of me that has prevented me speaking about being abused.”

She said she had been “petrified” of coming forward due to a misplaced sense of shame but after starting her own family she felt she could not move on without addressing the abuse she suffered.

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The complainant criticised Copeland as a “liar and a coward” for denying the offences and forcing her to endure the trial process.

She said: “He has dragged me through this process when he could have held up his hands and asked for help. He is beyond help.”

The complainant added: “I hope I can get justice and I can move on from this nightmare.”

She also recited a poem to the court which she has written called Memories, including this passage: “Memories should be happy, they should be care-free, but they are not for me; Memories should make us smile, want to stay in them for a while, but they don’t for me; My memories make me feel shame, I know I’m not to blame, but I feel dirty all the same.”

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Rebecca Stevens, defending, said Copeland, who has 47 convictions for 90 offences, has no previous convictions of a sexual nature and his offending has been mainly acquisitive and typical of someone who had been addicted to drugs.

She added: “At the time of these allegations he was addicted to class A drugs and was effectively of no fixed abode. His antecedents show a history of a life of acquisitive offences which one would expect from somebody addicted to drugs.”

Ms Stevens said that Copeland’s last offence dates back to 2016 and he has since rid himself of drugs.

She added that Copeland, who has health problems, has been a carer for two wheelchair-bound inmates while he has been remanded in custody.

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Judge Michael Slater sentenced Copeland to eight years of custody and explained a release date would only be considered by the parole board after he has served at least half of that prison term.

Copeland was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Restraining Order for an indefinite period.