Brian Claassen, a former photographer in Swindon, has been sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a girl and taking an indecent photograph of her.
The charges relate to an incident which took place at his photography studio, Lifestyle Portraits Ltd, based in the Brunel Shopping Centre, in June 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children (166 in total).
All pleas were made at earlier hearings at Portsmouth Crown Court.
The 40-year-old from Valentine Close, Manea, March in Cambridgeshire was sentenced at the same crown court Friday 26 May 2017.
Following the sentencing, Det Con Mark Harris from Swindon CID said: “I am extremely pleased with the sentence handed out.
“I must thank the family involved; without the questioning nature of this young girl – who told her mum and dad in the first place – and the help and support her parents have given our investigation team, it’s possible Claassen’s activities could have gone undetected; instead, their vital evidence has led to a guilty plea and sentence.
“This case highlights the dedication Wiltshire Police have to victims of sexual offences.
As well as the custodial sentence, Classen will be on the Sex Offenders register for 10 years and will be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. His electronic equipment will be forfeited.
If you have been a victim of a sexual assault, please call police via 101 or the Swindon Assault Referral Centre (SARC) on 0808 168 0024. The helpline is available 24 hours a day.
