Stephen Capper jailed over 2003 sexual assault of teenager

Stephen Capper has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison

A coach driver who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl on a trip to Austria 20 years ago has been jailed for more than four years.

Stephen Capper assaulted the teenager from Gloucestershire in July 2003 when he was employed as a driver taking tour parties on holidays into Europe.

The 68-year-old, of Manor Road, Torquay, was found guilty of indecent assault at a trial in November 2022.

He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Tuesday.

Capper was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Gloucester Crown Court.

At the time of the incident he was working as a driver for Wallace Arnold Coaches and had been accompanying a group, which included the teenager, who was on holiday with her family.

She said Capper had approached her in a hotel one evening and "pestered" her to give him her room number.

He later turned up at her room and assaulted her.

Before leaving the room, Capper told her "nobody can know about this because you will get into trouble", the court heard.

'I felt disgusting'

Reading a victim personal statement in court, the woman said she could still "vividly" remember how she felt at the time.

"I felt disgusting, shocked, embarrassed and I felt scared.

"I was warned that if anyone was to find out about what had happened, that I would be the one who would get into trouble. This is what, to my young and naive mind, ultimately forced my silence for so long," she said.

The woman told the court she had tried to "bury" her feelings and carry on as normal, but that the incident had affected her life ever since.

Gloucestershire Police said the victim had shown "amazing courage".

"I wish to commend the victim for her bravery and strength. Now she has finally got some closure for what she was subjected to and I hope she can begin to rebuild her life," said Det Con Elle Macleod.