Man, 20, jailed for sex act and gross indecency with a child in Jersey

A man in Jersey has been jailed for a year after committing sexual offences against a child from as young as six years old.

Jose Guilherme Vieira Da Costa, aged 20, was sentenced for an unlawful sexual act with a child and procuring acts of gross indecency with a child.

Vieira Da Costa denied the offences but was found guilty at trial in November 2023.

He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years and handed a five-year restraining order.

The victim told Jersey Police in October 2021 that they had been sexually assaulted by Vieira Da Costa several years earlier.

In January 2023, they made officers aware that Vieira Da Costa also sexually assaulted them when were six years old. He was further arrested and charged in March 2023.

Detective Constable Charles Vibert said: "We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are in a position to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process."

Police say the victim has been supported throughout by several groups including an independent sexual violence advisor.

Information on where to find support across the Channel Islands can be found here.