Stephen Dawson, a founding member and former bassist of UK heavy metal veterans Saxon, has been sentenced to six years in prison for repeatedly abusing a six-year-old girl in the 1990s. According to BBC, the 72-year-old was found guilty on Thursday (11th) of four counts of indecent assault of a child under 14 following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court. Detective Robert Heath, who led the investigation, praised the victim’s bravery in coming forward.

Dawson, who hasn’t been part of the band for nearly forty years since his dismissal in 1986, played a significant role in Saxon’s history, from their debut album in 1979 to 1985’s Innocence Is No Excuse.