Former army cadet force captain from Gosport jailed for '˜shocking' sex abuse

Alexander Smith was an Army Cadet Force captain when he took advantage of the victim. She was around 12 at the time of the crime.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the girl, now an adult, was ‘profoundly affected’.

Smith, 51, of Russell Street, Gosport, denied the charges but was convicted after a four-day trial.

The News revealed in 2012 how dad-of-three Smith had exposed himself to a 16-year-old girl and was jailed.

When those allegations emerged in September 2010, he was suspended from the cadet force, where he was county sport officer for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Jailing Smith for four years, Recorder Alastair Malcolm QC said Smith’s latest conviction saw him carry out the offences on two separate occasions, but they predated the previous conviction.

He said: ‘The jury have convicted you of four counts, which amounts to gross breach of trust.’

The judge added: ‘You took advantage of the girl, who was between 12 and 16.’

Jurors convicted Smith of two charges of sexual activity with a child and two charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

One incident took place at an army base and the other in a vehicle, the court heard.

Kelly Brocklehurst, defending, said: ‘If Mr Smith had gone on to commit offences after being sanctioned by a court, that would be worse.’

Smith, whose two daughters were in the public gallery, was found not guilty of two multiple incident charges.

He will be on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Samantha Barber said: ‘Alexander Smith abused his position of trust to subject a child to a series of shocking sexual offences.’