David Fish, now 47, has been convicted as part of Operation Stovewood and has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to two sexual offences and being convicted of rape, unlawful wounding and causing or inciting child prostitution.

The court heard how David Fish put a vulnerable 15 year old girl through years of abuse which included rape, physical assaults and being forced to take part in sexually explicit videos between 2007 and 2010. Indecent images and videos of the victim were found on his computer during the investigation. At that time David Fish was in his late 20's, early 30's.

Operation Stovewood is an long running investigation by the National Crime Agency into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. The investigation was launched in 2014, following an independent report by Alexis Jay which found that around 1400 vulnerable children had been subjected to sexual exploitation in the town.

Steve Palmer, from the NCA, said: “Though the victim will always live with what Fish did, I hope his sentencing will bring her a measure of peace and allow her to move forward.”

Switalskis have been dealing with civil claims against Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and South Yorkshire Police for over a decade, supporting over 100 women in securing compensation and justice for the failures of the authorities in protecting them from avoidable abuse and trauma.

If you would like a confidential chat about your options please contact amy.clowrey@switalskis.com or call her on 01924 882000.