In 2023, a Brixton market vendor, Jeff Cooper, the Brixton Paedophile, who sexually assaulted a young child, was incarcerated after his victim courageously came forward 18 years later. In early 1999, Jeff Cooper, also known as Jeff the Chef, sexually abused a child approximately 13 years old in the Brixton Hill neighbourhood, causing her to ‘jolt upright’ and exclaim ‘What are you doing?’, as presented in Inner London Crown Court in January.
A 54-year-old individual from Brixton, Jeff Cooper, who operates Jeff the Chef Food Bar near Brixton Railway Station, was around 29 years old during the sexual assault. The victim, who informed her mother but chose not to report to the police at that time, struggled with mental health challenges for over two decades before ultimately disclosing the traumatic incident in 2016, following counselling sessions that facilitated her confrontation of the event.
Describing the indecent assault at a sentencing hearing on January 19, prosecutor Bhavin Patel said: “He… moved close. She thought nothing of it. He put his hand on her, then proceeded to insert his fingers into her vagina. She was not sure how long it was; it could have been a few minutes.”
In an emotional impact statement, the victim said she had never blamed her depression on the incident but now recognised it was due to Jeff Cooper’s actions. She also said she ‘pretty much shut down’, became ‘closed off’ and ‘very guarded’ after the attack, and still struggles to trust men.
“I go through periods where I do not eat, I go through some times where I just sit down crying,” said the victim.
Defence counsel Fiona McCaddy argued Jeff Cooper had lived 24 years without an offence, apart from assaulting his wife in 2007 when he was cautioned by police. The barrister pleaded for a suspended sentence, citing advice from Jeff Cooper’s GP, who claimed prison would be dangerous for his skin condition.
“In short, he fears a custodial sentence will legitimately and genuinely kill him,” Ms McCaddy said.
Jeff Cooper denied the offence but was convicted by the jury after a trial at Inner London Crown Court in October 2023.
Jurors heard how the victim felt Jeff Cooper ‘rooting through her underwear’ then forced his finger inside her, which ‘felt like a lifetime’, the victim said in her evidence. The attack ended when she “jolted upright and said ‘What are you doing?’,” Judge Vanessa Baraitser recalled as she summarised the case.
Judge Baraitser said 18 years had passed before counselling helped the victim realise she needed to report the attack for ‘her own sanity’. “It’s clear to me she has suffered genuine long-term harm as a result of your offending,” concluded the judge.
Judge Baraitser also explained the offence was equivalent to assault by penetration under current laws, but any sentence was limited to the maximum of 10 years under indecent assault laws at the time.
He concluded Jeff Cooper – who has served Jamaican food on his Jeff the Chef stall in Brixton for 19 years – had strong mitigation due to his health issues, but the prison estate was ‘more than capable’ of looking after him.
Judge Baraitser said Jeff Cooper ‘took advantage’ of his victim, with ‘devastating consequences’ as she jailed him for four years. Jeff Cooper is also entered on the sex offender register indefinitely.
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