Child sex abuser has sentence increased
A 57 year old man found guilty of sexual offences with a child has had his prison sentence increased after the Solicitor General referred it as unduly lenient.
Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP
Mark Benfield was originally sentenced to 4 years in prison on the 13 October last year when his case was heard at Portsmouth Crown Court. The Court of Appeal has increased his sentence to 8 years and 6 months, which includes 1 year on licence.
The abuse started after the victim鈥檚 6th birthday, when Benfield was 18, and didn鈥檛 stop until 1984, 6 years later. During this period, the victim was sexually assaulted in her foster home a number of times by the offender.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:
鈥淭his is a tragic case where the victim was made to feel unsafe in their own home, blighting many precious years of childhood.
鈥淚 welcome the Court鈥檚 decision and hope that the increased sentence brings some comfort and long awaited closure to the victim.鈥�