PSNI praise sex abuse victim for coming forward after Belfast man jailed

By Adam Evans

The PSNI has praised a victim of sexual abuse for coming forward after his attacker was jailed.

Inspector Michelle Shaw described the victim as having "courage".

A 53-year-old man from Belfast has been sentenced to five months behind bars and placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.

In a statement, Inspector Michelle Shaw from the PSNI Public Protection Branch said: "This was a difficult ordeal for the victim in this case and I would like to take the opportunity to praise him for firstly coming forward to police and also for having the courage to see this case through the courts.

"I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report it to police so that we can thoroughly investigate and bring any suspects before the courts. 

"They will be treated with the utmost sensitivity by our highly trained officers, who will be there to guide and reassure them through every step of the process. It is because of the bravery of survivors of sexual abuse that cases such as this can be brought before the courts and the culprits brought to justice."