FOUR men have today (Thursday, September 8) been jailed for a total of 71 years for a series of sexual assaults on children.

Stephen Amos, 62, of Grange Drive, Taunton; Logan Morris, 71, of Meriet Avenue, Hartcliffe; Joseph Foster, 74, of Wigton Crescent, Southmead; and Martin Belgium, 55, of Corfe Road, Knowle, were convicted of a total of 27 offences after a six-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The majority of the abuse took place from the late 1970s to the late 1990s but some incidents took place as late as 2012.

The men systematically abused nine children in total – seven girls and two boys.

Somerset County Gazette:

Stephen Amos.

•Amos was convicted of one count of indecent assault, one count of indecency with a child and four rapes. He was sentenced to an extended determinate sentence of 22 years with a custodial term of 18 years.

Somerset County Gazette:

Logan Morris.

•Morris was convicted of six indecent assaults and three attempted rapes. He was jailed for 15 years.

•Foster was convicted of two indecent assaults, one attempted rape, three charges of indecency with a child and two rapes. He was sentenced to an extended determinate sentence of 22 years with a custodial term of 18 years.

Somerset County Gazette:

Martin Belgium.

•Belgium was convicted of two indecent assault and two attempted rapes. He was jailed for 12 years.

DC Julie Bryan-Young said: “Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to all the victims in this case.

"They have displayed the utmost bravery and courage throughout our investigation and the proceeding trial.

“The men systematically abused these young children over a sustained period of time – slowly eroding their confidence and making them think these crimes were normal behaviour.

“All of the victims were under 16 at the time of offending – with the youngest being just five years old.

“Morris, Foster, Belgium and Amos abused their position of trust with the victims for their own sexual gratification and gave no thought to the long-term pain and torment they were afflicting on these children.

“These men have refused to take any responsibility for these truly despicable crimes, forcing some of their victims to relive their ordeal by giving evidence at the trial.

“The crimes committed by these men are abhorrent and I have no doubt will have a lasting effect on all the victims and their families.

“The courage of these victims has ensured our communities will now be protected from four dangerous offenders and I hope they are now able to move on with their lives.

“This case sends a loud and clear message that it doesn’t matter when offences like this were committed, we’ll always listen to, believe and respect victims and ultimately try and obtain justice for them.”

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: "We are determined to work with our partner agencies to make sure we are consistently tackling sexual abuse in all its forms.

"We’re committed to ensuring all our officers and staff are able to spot the tell-tale signs of exploitation and abuse to safeguard children across the Force area.

"We would urge anyone who has any suspicions about children or young people being exploited or abused to please tell us. Every piece of information is important and we all have a role to play in keeping our children and young people safe from harm.

"We would always urge victims of any crime to come forward and talk to us. You can call us on 101 or report online here.

"Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800-555111 where information can be left anonymously."