How Spice Girls magazine helped catch paedophile 20 YEARS later

A paedophile was snared after a heartbreaking letter from a Spice Girls fan magazine to his victim was found in an attic.
Merseyrail worker Jason Brown, 47, was jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court decades after repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl.
The court heard the victim, a devoted fan of the iconic girl-band, wrote to the advice column of a Spice Girls fanzine about Brown’s behaviour in 1998.
The magazine sent a reply advising the girl to contact the charity Childline, but the traumatised victim was unable to bring herself to do so.
Ben Jones, prosecuting, told the court the girl’s parents made the heart-rending discovery when clearing out their loft.
They spoke to their daughter who revealed the full scale of her ordeal.
Mr Jones said the abuse involved Brown masturbating in front of the child on repeated occasions and touching her breasts over clothing while play fighting.
Brown, of Foxshaw Close, Whiston, denied two counts of gross indecency and one of indecent assault but was convicted after a trial.
Judge Anil Murray, passing sentence, said Brown had used different ruses to take advantage of the vulnerable child when she was aged between eight and 12.
He said that victim personal statement made “sad reading”.
She described how it had “destroyed her childhood”, taken her confidence away and left her withdrawn and reclusive.
Judge Murray said “The abuse she suffered has ruined her life.”
He added that his behaviour had involved grooming and the father-of-three made sure his own children were out of the way when he abused the girl.
He said: “You maintain your innocence and deny responsibility and are not able to show remorse, insight or empathy.”
Brown was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.