Leicester woman gets stepfather jailed 8 years after police dropped case

A young woman who suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather from the age of eight has finally seen him brought to justice — eight years after police dropped the case having failed to examine his devices for evidence.

Flynnley Paton, 23, was subjected to abuse between the ages of eight and 14 by Justin Smith, 49, while her mother was either asleep or away at appointments.

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After receiving sex education lessons in year six, Flynnley, from Leicester, came to understand that Smith's conduct was wrong. At the age of 14, she confided in a family friend, leading to his arrest in January 2017.

The case was subsequently dropped owing to insufficient evidence, despite officers failing to carry out a forensic examination of Smith's devices — a failure that took a severe toll on Flynnley's mental health.

In 2022, Smith was arrested once more for possession of indecent images of children, prompting her case to be reopened.

He was convicted in July 2023 of three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, one count of sexual assault with a child, and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Smith was handed a six-year prison sentence in June 2025 at Leicester Crown Court.

Yet Flynnley, who suffers from PTSD as a direct result of the abuse, believes the sentence is far too lenient, and is now pursuing a civil case against the police for their failure to properly investigate in 2017.

Flynnley, who is currently unable to work due to her mental health, said: "He would do it when my mum was asleep, when she was out for appointments.

"At the start I thought it was normal. Then, when we did sex education in year six, I started to realise it wasn't normal.

"It made me feel disgusting. It made me hate myself.

"I felt like I couldn't tell anyone because he said it would ruin my life and ruin my family.

"When he was let off, I was lost for words. It was heart-wrenching.

"The police said there wasn't enough evidence, but I knew that there was.

"My mental health got really bad. I got so paranoid that any noise was him coming in to the house to get me.

"It was a relief when he was finally sentenced, but six years isn't enough for what he did to me.

"I'm serving a life sentence for what he did to me, so why can't he do the same?".

The abuse commenced when her mother began a relationship with Justin Smith.

"He basically would just do it when no one would be able to catch him," she said.

It was only upon attending sex education classes that Flynnley came to understand that Smith's actions were deeply wrong — yet she remained silent about the ordeal.

"I thought people would see me differently. I was terrified," she said.

In January 2017, she found the courage to confide in a family friend, who informed her aunt, before her mother was notified and subsequently contacted the police.

Smith was arrested and released on bail, prompting Flynnley to move in first with her father and later her grandmother.

Regrettably, officers dropped the case citing insufficient evidence, yet it later emerged that they had neglected to examine Smith's laptop and mobile phone for messages, despite having seized both devices. Flynnley's mental health declined sharply in the aftermath of her ordeal.

Her behaviour grew increasingly erratic, and she became consumed by paranoia that Smith would come after her.

Despite the trauma she endured, Flynnley managed to pass her GCSEs and A Levels before going on to attend university in 2021.

In February 2022, she received a call from her aunt informing her that Smith had been arrested for downloading indecent images of children.

Following his arrest, Flynnley's case was reopened, and officers examined devices that had gone unchecked during the original 2017 investigation.

Smith pleaded guilty to all charges on July 27, 2023 and was handed an indefinite restraining order on June 27, 2025 alongside a six-year prison sentence.

Flynnley experienced an overwhelming sense of relief when Smith was finally sentenced, yet she firmly believes the punishment does not reflect the severity of what he subjected her to.

"Children get abused, the people get sent to prison, they come out and they just do it again. Something needs to change," she said.

As a direct result of the trauma she has endured, Flynnley now lives with PTSD, night terrors and EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), a mental health condition characterised by emotional instability and impulsive behaviour.

She is now campaigning for harsher sentences for those convicted of child abuse and has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to pursue a civil case against the police for failing to properly investigate the matter back in 2017, as well as to fund private therapy. "I think it's shocking that all the police got is training and a slap on the wrist for something so horrific," she said.

"I don't think it's good enough for all the years I lost to them."

A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: "In 2017 police investigated an allegation of sexual assault against a child victim, which was reported to have happened when they were aged between eight and 14 years old.

"The victim was interviewed by specialist officers and gave an account.

"As part of our enquiries, a man was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and several electronic devices were seized. However, they were not forensically examined.

"The case was later closed due to insufficient evidence and the victim informed.

"In 2022, the victim - now a young adult - contacted police again having become aware that the man had been arrested for a separate offence.

"The arrest had prompted her to view her emails in the hope she may find copies of any conversations between them. She was able to locate email copies of social media exchanges from 2017 between her and the man, some of which referred to the sexual abuse.

"The investigation was reopened, and his devices examined. The examination showed no messages but did present evidence to support the victim's emails.

"Following an investigation, the suspect was voluntarily interviewed and later summoned to court charged with seven counts of sexual assault against the victim.

"In 2025, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison. He was also given a restraining order, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register.

"The victim made a complaint to the force's Professional Standards Department in 2022 regarding the 2017 investigation.

"The complaint was handled, and it was determined that not all reasonable lines of enquiry had been considered. The investigating officer – a Detective Constable – and their supervisor – a Detective Sergeant – who reviewed the decision to close the case were given the following outcome of learning by reflection in relation to reasonable lines of enquiry and management of the investigation.

"The victim was informed of this outcome and our apologies given. No appeal was received in relation to this decision."

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