Lowestoft man jailed for sex assaults on girl

Ildefonso Valdez pleaded guilty to four assaults on a child aged under 13 when he appeared before Ipswich Crown Court.

The 41-year-old, of Stanley Street was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment.

A sexual offences prevention order lasting until further notice was also made against Valdez.

Due to the nature of his offences he will be prevented from working with children when he is released from prison.

Valdez accepted he had touched the girl's breasts and made inappropriate sexual contact with her on other occasions.

He had left his role as a voluntary police officer before committing the offences.

Simon Gladwell, representing Valdez, said: 'He is genuinely remorse about what he's done, not because of what will happen to him, but because of the impact it has undoubtedly had on (his victim).

'He cannot understand why he started doing what he did. He does accept there was sexual motivation, but he cannot understand why.'

The court was told on Friday that Valdez admitted what he had done as soon as police confronted him with the allegations.

Mr Gladwell said Valdez did not have any previous convictions, and at one stage he had been a special constable.

Judge John Devaux heard Valdez had struggled to find work since 2009.

Despite travelling to Ireland and London during the intervening years he had been unable to get a permanent job.

Valdez had effectively been unemployed since the end of 2011, and was said to have found his situation increasingly difficult to come to terms with.

Sentencing him Judge Devaux said: 'The picture that emerges is one of a life that was slowly disintegrating, particularly on the financial side.'

Valdez was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment for two of the offences, and 32 months for the remaining two counts. The sentences are to run concurrently.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Constabulary said Valdez had been a special constabulary between March 2004 and October 2005.