Paedophile Louise Mireles almost got away with a community sentence and hours of unpaid work but the victim's family's appeal got him a custodial sentence instead. The victim's mother recalled how she found out that her child had been sexually assaulted and the repercussions it had on the family. The seven-year-old boy, who remains unnamed to protect his identity, underwent a major personality change after the paedophile targeted him in class.

21-year-old university student, Mireles, had been volunteering as a reading assistant at the Portsmouth school which his victim attends. During a reading session, he put a book on the child's lap, unzipped the child's pants, and touched him inappropriately. Mireles then told the child to keep it a secret.

The child took a few days to tell his mother what had happened to him. When he first told his mother that he had been touched by someone in class, the mother did not pay much attention. When the boy kept repeating the information to her, the mother got worried. He asked the child what he meant. The child narrated what the pervert had put him through.

child grooming
Rape survivor ensured paedophile got jail term for molesting her son Getty

Both the child's parents immediately met with the headteacher at the school. The headteacher informed them that the university which Mireles attended had done a background check before allowing him to work with the children. Police interviewed the child and recorded his statement. They also took the child's underwear as evidence.

Mireles was arrested but was released on bail. Portsmouth Crown Court heard the case, during which it was revealed that Mireles had on a previous occasion, molested a 13-year-old boy. Mireles was 18 when he had sexually harassed the boy on a bus. However, the matter was dealt with by the school so it was not on Mireles' criminal record.

Portsmouth Crown Court also heard that Mireles had sought help from his university's wellbeing centre after his arrest and had planned to attend a support group. Mireles was handed a 36-month community order including 200 hours of unpaid work.

The family of the victim was not happy with the lenient sentence and they decided to lodge the appeal. The Court of Appeals in London heard the case and gave Mireles a two year and six-month custodial sentence.

The Daily Mail reported that the victim's mother is a rape survivor who had not received justice when her rapist walked free. She shared her story with her son to help him cope with the trauma. Since the incident, the child has been undergoing therapy.