A man from Coventry who thought he had got away with child sex abuse offences committed in the past has been jailed for nine years despite his best efforts to destroy evidence.

Jeyakumar Jeyarasa smashed the mobile phone belonging to his young victim where she had saved key evidence.

She had recorded his voice and taken video to prove his guilt after he committed a sex act on multiple occasions in front of her while asking her for sex. 

Despite the challenges posed in recovering the evidence, when she reported Jeyarasa to the West Midlands Police, they were determined to bring him to justice. Officers carried out a thorough digital investigation and repaired the phone to retrieve the video and audio files, despite Jeyarasa’s best efforts to destroy it.

The 58-year-old was convicted by a jury following a trial at Leamington Crown Court in November. He was found guilty of seven sexual abuse offences including counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child between October 2010 and September 2019.

The man was handed a nine-year prison sentence as well as being placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years when he appeared at Leamington Crown Court for sentencing on 4 April.

DC Richard Buckley, the officer leading the case said, “Jeyarasa was highly manipulative abusing his position of trust and thought he had got away with it by destroying vital evidence.  However, with a thorough investigation by police, undaunted by the challenges faced in recovering evidence from a smashed phone, we persevered and secured the evidence needed for the jury to convict him. 

“The victim showed strength and courage to come forward and steadfastly remained committed to achieving justice, bravely making herself heard to the court. Thanks to her and the efforts of West Midlands Police, Jeyarasa has been brought to justice and is now facing time behind bars and the streets are safer as a result.”