Latest Offenders East Sussex

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A paedophile football coach has been jailed for ten years after he abused eight boys, as young as 11, between 1966 and 2000.

Gerald Highgate, 83, who was a serial sex offender who carried out his abuse for more than three decades, appeared at Guilford Crown Court in Surrey today.

Victims said he had destroyed their childhoods and used their love of football against them.

Judge Micahel Hunter told the sex predator: ‘You groomed boys, possibly as young as 11, over a very long period from 1966 to 2000, a period of 34 years.

‘Had you admitted these offences and spared your victims from the trauma of coming to court and giving evidence in this trial, you would have substantially reduced your sentence.’

Highgate, who coached at the Surrey club’s Chipstead FC and Bletchingley Rifle Club, where he carried out 30 offences against eight boys.

He was convicted after a six-week trial.

Catherine Donnelly for the Crown told the jury: ‘Highgate appears to have been adept at grooming both adults and children and appears to have conducted himself in this way over a significant period of time.

‘On occasion he would use money and treats as a way of placating the children or rewarding them for allowing him to abuse them.’

Police believe there could be many more victims of Highgate who are yet to come forward.

One of Highgate’s victims read out his impact statement to the court, stating he had felt anger, shame and disgust ever since the abuse began.

He told the court: ‘Ultimately, I hate you for abusing me. I loved football and you took that from me.

‘I have lived with what you did for all these years. I only hope I can get the justice I deserve, and I can move on.’

Other victims said they had struggled with relationships throughout their lives after suffering at the hands of Highgate.

Another man said: ‘The stigma of being abused has affected me in so many ways and I have only really come to terms with it in later life.’

Guildford Crown Court heard how parents looked up to him as a respected figure in the community.

Judge Hunter described Highgate’s offending as a serious breach of trust.

He said: ‘The boys were in your care, you were looking after those boys as members of the junior team of which you were the leader, mentor and coach.

‘Many of those boys looked up to you. Certainly, many of the parents admired, respected and looked up to you.

‘In some cases, they were seriously mistaken.’

Highgate pushed his hearing aid through the toughened glass panels of the dock at Guildford Crown Court before being told he was sentenced to a total of ten years in prison for 30 offences against eight boys.

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Gary Nash, who sexually assaulted a young girl for around a ten-year period, has now faced justice with a 16-year sentence following an investigation by safeguarding detectives.

Nash, 39, of Tower Road, St Leonards, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Thursday (September 8), having previously admitted two offences of sexual assault and one offence of attempting to engage in a penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13.

He was given a 16-year sentence eight years of which will be served in custody, with the remaining eight years on extended licence. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be a registered sex offender for life.

Detective Sergeant Oliver Bali of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Nash took advantage of his access to the victim to exploit her for his own sexual gratification without anyone else knowing, until earlier this year when she finally found the courage to speak out.

"We started enquiries at once, and swiftly arrested Nash, who admitted all the offences. He would undoubtedly have continued to offend against her, had she not very bravely reported him.

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A man who subjected a girl then aged between 10 and 11 to a series of sexual assaults for more than a year in West Sussex sixteen years ago, has now faced justice with a seven year prison sentence.

Gavin Wright, 50, now of Norfolk Way, Uckfield, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on 2 August having been convicted of six sexual assaults and for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Detective Constable Ellen Jones of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Wright came to know the young and vulnerable girl whilst living in East Grinstead, gradually gained her confidence and then systematically abused her for his own sexual gratification.

"When we arrested Wright we found in his possession vile indecent images of children being abused.

"While we were investigating his sexual assaults, our colleagues in the force's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) were investigating his more recent though completely unrelated online activities. They had found that another sex offender was messaging him and sending these images who he then sent on to others.

"So he received four-and-a-half years for the sexual assaults and an additional two-and-a-half years for the online offending.

"He will also be a registered sex offender for life, and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further notice, severely restricting his access to children and digital devices.

"In addition he was given a court Restraining Order prohibiting him from any contact with his victim."

The victim who finally found the resolution and courage to tell the police, told the court: "My reason for reporting the incident was to expose him for what he is to the world manipulative and dangerous - and ensure that what I went through is never allowed to be repeated and affect the life of any other young person. No person deserves to have any of this happen to them. He deserves to face the consequences of his actions now and in the future."

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Michael James Green, 80, previously of Neville Avenue in Hove, denied 12 counts of buggery and indecent assaults when he appeared at Chichester Crown Court but was convicted on July 7 after a nine-day trial.

The offences against four boys took place between 1973 and 1993 and came to light when the victims saw publicity about his previous offending and contacted police. At the time of the abuse, all of the boys were aged between 13 and 16 years of age.

Green, who was also a friend and mentor of Sarah Payne's killer Roy Whiting, met two of the boys when he worked as an insurance salesman in Brighton.

One of the boys thought of Green as a family friend but was abused in his own home.

Green gained access to the second boy through coaching an ice hockey team in Brighton, who he took him to Devil’s Dyke where he abused him. He also abused him at Green’s home address.

He forced both boys to perform sex acts and raped one of them.

Green went on to be a sports coach at a boarding school in West Sussex, where he abused the other two boys, grooming and assaulting them.

He was sentenced to 17 and a half years imprisonment by the court earlier today.

Detective Constable Nikki Thiim of the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit, who investigated the latest allegations, said: “We have huge admiration for the courage the four latest victims have shown throughout the investigation and this trial.

“Their resilience to help see justice fully done, and the giving of their evidence at the trial has been remarkable.

“Green always denied these allegations, which forced them to relive their experiences in court, which has been extremely difficult and upsetting for them.

“It is clear that for many years, Green has actively involved himself in families, befriending them, encouraging them to let him involve their sons in sport, giving him access to young and often vulnerable boys, who he has systematically abused.”

Green was already serving time in prison, having been sentenced to nine years in September 2018 after being convicted of 17 indecent assaults between 1980 and 1994 against seven boys aged between 12 and 16, in addition to another nine-year sentence imposed in 2014 for four counts of sexual offences against four young boys.

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A MAN has been jailed for more than three years for offences of sexual activity and voyeurism against two young girls.

Christian Charles Turner, 30, of Little London Road, Horam, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court to a total of three years and four months, having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity against a girl aged 13.

He also pleaded guilty to six counts of voyeurism involving another girl, then aged 11 and 12.

He also admitted making a series of nearly 4,000 indecent images of children, all taken from the internet and none believed to be of local children, found on his two mobile phones when officers arrested him last year.

Turner will be a registered sex offender for life and the court also gave him a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which will severely restrict his access to children and digital devices.

Detective Constable Sean Stapley of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: "Our investigation started when we were contacted by a family last autumn with concerns that their daughter had raised about Turner's behaviour.

"It became clear that he had systematically ingratiated himself with the two families, gaining their confidence to a point at which he was able to commit the offences.

"Thanks to their willingness to be ready to give evidence, justice has now been done and a predatory child sex offender has been exposed and punished and steps have been put in place to manage him on release."

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A ROMAN Catholic priest has been jailed for sexual offences against a teenage boy he met in church.

Father Anthony White has been convicted of two counts of indecent assault and one of buggery against the boy.

The offences happened in the early 1990s at an address where White was living in Horsham while he was an assistant priest at St John's Church.

The 64-year-old was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for the sexual assault.

White, now of Cross-In-Hand, Heathfield, was also given five years for each offence of indecent assault, to run concurrently.

He will serve two thirds of his sentence in prison. 

 Detective Constable Yvonne Daddow said: "White got to know the boy when he and his family attended the church.

“He gradually gained their confidence and the boy started to visit the priest's address in Horsham on the pretext of doing some jobs around the house.

“However on the first occasion White plied the boy with drink and then raped him. On further occasions he also committed sexual assaults on the teenager.

"The victim kept these terrible experience to himself for nearly 30 years and they have had a very serious impact on his mental health and wellbeing all that time.

“Only when watching a TV documentary about unrelated cases of misconduct by priests did he feel able to come forward and disclose what had happened to him.”

He has been supported by specially trained officers and officers have had full co-operation from church authorities throughout the investigation, police said.

“I would like to thank the witnesses for their time in coming forward to support the police in this investigation,” Detective Constable Daddow added.

"We will always investigate such cases and provide support to victims, seeking justice wherever possible no matter how long ago the events are said to have happened."

The prosecution followed an investigation by detectives from the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit after a report was received by police for the first time in 2020. 

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A MAN who raped a young girl over a five-year period has been jailed.

Keith Alan Fairbrother assaulted the girl in the early 2000s, when he was in his 40s.

The assaults took place over a five-year period when the girl was in her early teens.

Fairbrother had come to know the victims family over time and used this friendship to exploit her.

The 59-year-old was convicted of four offences of rape and three offences of sexual assault by penetration.

At Chichester Crown Court, Fairbrother, of Glovers Lane, Bexhill, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after a two-week trial.

Detective Constable Ella Bigsby, of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: "He had come to know the victim's family and gained her confidence over a period of time, enabling him to exploit her for his own sexual gratification.

"His victim showed great courage in contacting us, supporting the investigation and giving evidence in court, resulting in his conviction and the removal from the streets of an opportunist but predatory sex offender."

In a statement, the victim said: "In coming forward to the police, I finally did what adults around me should have done all those years ago, and became the person I needed when younger.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in the case, with a special thank you to DC Ella Bigsby for being my strength, barrister Jennifer Gray for being my voice, and the jury."

Detective Constable Bigsby added: "This is another example of the way in which justice can be achieved for victims of sexual offences, no matter when the offending took place."

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A 63-year-old man has been jailed having been found guilty of sexually abusing a young girl over several years. Brian Matthews, of London Road, Bexhill, has been handed a 19-year sentence for his offences.

Matthews began sexually assaulting his victim when she was only nine years old. The abuse continued into her late teens.

As well as the sexual abuse, which included multiple counts of rape, Matthews subjected the girl to both "emotional and psychological abuse" as he attempted to normalise his behaviour and control the actions of the victim. His abusive actions continued for many years.

Police eventually received reports of the crimes and began investigating. The victim was provided with specialist support from officers whilst Matthews was arrested and charged with the following offences:

- Four counts of assault on a girl under 13 by touching

- Four counts of assault on a female over 13 with penetration

- Rape of a girl aged 13 to 15

- Two counts of rape of a female aged 16 or over

- Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child

- Cruelty to a person under 16

- Engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour

Having been charged, Matthews denied all the charges brought against him. He was found guilty by a jury on all of the above charges with the exception of one charge of rape of a female aged 16 or over, whilst the judge discharged the jury from reaching a verdict on the charge of engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour.

On April 28 at Lewes Crown Court, Matthews was handed his sentence of 19 years in jail including one year on extended licence. He has been placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

Matthews was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) forbidding any contact with the victim or any child under 18 without consent of a parent/guardian and social services, or if inadvertent and not reasonably avoidable. He is prohibited from possessing any device which may be capable of storing or accessing digital images unless access is provided for inspection by a police officer or police employee.

Detective Liz Brunt said: Brian Matthews depraved, horrific abuse robbed his young victim of her childhood and she will have to live with the effects for the rest of her life. I would like to thank her for the incredible bravery she has shown not only in reporting these crimes initially, but in supporting our investigation and helping to put a dangerous predator behind bars.

Without her courage and determination, this simply would not have been possible. Hopefully this sentence will offer some measure of comfort to her and stop Matthews from causing further harm to young people.

For information on reporting sexual offences and the support that is available, see the Sussex Police website.

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Former Isle of Wight man Robert Howart Duncan, who sexually abused 2 children, has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

Duncan, of Chapel Walk in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex but previously of Gurnard, near Cowes, first appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 13th April last year facing a total of 4 historic charges; assault of a child under 13 by penetration, attempted rape of a child under 13 and 2 counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a child.

The 61-year-old pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him and the case went to trial at the Isle of Wight Crown Court.

The court heard how Duncan, who previously worked for 2 local undertakers, had sexually abused the 2 underage girls with 1 of them suffering at the hands of the paedophile for a 6-year period. The youngest victim was just 8-years-old, with the offences taking place between 1999 and 2015.

On 21st March, a jury found him guilty on 3 counts but not guilty of the attempted rape. The case was sent to Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing.

Appearing in the dock last Friday, Robert Duncan was sentenced to a total of 12 years behind bars and 1 year on licence. The judge also ordered him to sign on as a registered sex offender indefinitely and also made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period.

It was decided that Duncan must serve a minimum of 8 years behind bars before he can apply for parole meaning he will be behind bars until at least 2030.

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An amphetamine addicted predator has been sentenced to 23 years in prison having been found guilty of drugging and raping three men. The third offence occurred in East Sussex in April 2021.

In his third offence, Nico Baxter, 39, approached a homeless man sleeping on a bench before inviting him back to his flat under the pretext of drinking coffee. They both "spoke about being gay" before taking amphetamines, which Baxter injected into him, the court heard.

They engaged in foreplay, but the man said there was to be no penetration due to Baxter's HIV status - Baxter proceeded to rape the man. In a statement, he said Baxter had ruined his life in one day.

The first two offences took place in Manchester and Stockport respectively, where Baxter had lived before relocating to Sussex, and also involved drug use. In the first instance Baxter, of East Sussex, encountered a man in the streets of Manchester on December 16, 2019.

The pair went back to his house, where he contacted his drug dealer to get crack cocaine, which they took together. Baxter then left, before returning with another woman before more drugs were taken, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

The victim then went to bed, before he woke up with Baxter on top of him. "He could feel a pain, his boxer shorts were pulled off, he couldnt move and he was powerless to resist and froze lying there whilst he was being raped - the defendant left the room and went downstairs whilst the victim lay in bed afraid," prosecutor Amanda Johnson said.

Baxter later went back upstairs and raped the man again, while he lay 'immobile, frozen and powerless'. Hours later, the victim, who had struggled with drug use and was mourning the loss of a loved one, went downstairs.

Baxter told him: "Let me look after you." The victim took an overdose and was in hospital for a few days before he was able to report the incident to police, the court heard.

Giving evidence at trial, he said he has since wanted to move house and said the incident 'undermined his pride and dignity as a man'. The next incident happened in April 2020, when Baxter met an alcoholic man who was waiting for a friend in Stockport town centre when he saw Baxter and asked if he had seen his friend.

"The defendant said his friend was at his house, which was a blatant lie designed to lure the victim back to his flat," the prosecutor said. "He gave him a small white tablet and the man asked where his friend was, at which the defendant pretended to call him.

"He asked if he was gay, and he said he was not and had a girlfriend. He was drinking cider, before the defendant approached him with a syringe and squirted the contents into his mouth."

He fell unconscious before waking up on a mattress with no recollection of how he got there. He then realised Baxter was raping him - it happened again after he awoke, with the man saying he felt "powerless".

The victim left, before calling police in a "terrible state", describing feeling "belittled and disgusted" by what had happened. In a statement, he said he felt "duped" by Baxter, and said he was vulnerable and had low self-worth and dignity and feels uncomfortable and scared around other men.

The court heard Baxter has 37 previous convictions for 84 offences, none of which were sexual in nature. Mitigating, barrister Beverley Cherrill said there was intervention needed to "reduce the risk of taking drugs with others".

Sentencing, Judge Bernadette Baxter said: "You have no remorse for what you have done and maintained that it was consensual and you have shown no insight into what you have done to them. These offences demonstrate that you are a predatory sex offender with an addiction to amphetamine.

"This addiction exacerbates any sexual preoccupations - you were always on the lookout for a sexual opportunity and were able to identify vulnerable individuals who were unable to fight you off. You pre-planned and had little or no internal control over your sexual impulses.

"At the time of the commission of these offences, although he was HIV positive, it was undetectable," she said. "One can completely understand why the victims had concerns."

Baxter was found guilty of seven offences of rape by a jury following a trial in February. He was jailed for 23 years with an extended licence period of two years; and ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely - he will serve two thirds of his custodial sentence before being considered for release.

"I find you to be a dangerous offender under the sentencing provisions, and that you present a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public," said the judge.

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A MAN who sexually assaulted a teenage girl in a holiday caravan has been jailed for seven years.

Kevin Paul Horne, a builder and decorator of Cross-In-Hand, Heathfield, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, April 1.

The 42-year-old was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child at the Winchelsea Sands Holiday Village in the summer of 2020.

Horne will be a registered sex offender and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, severely restricting his access to children under 18, both for life.

Detective Constable Lyndsey Jamison of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Horne, who knew the girl, committed the two serious sexual offences against her late one evening while he was staying at the Village.

"The victim gave evidence in court which significantly helped in convicting Horne.

"We will always investigate such reports and seek to achieve justice for victims wherever possible."

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An Eastbourne cleaner, who was found by officers to have repeatedly accessed images of child abuse despite a previous conviction, is now starting a 15-month prison sentence, said police.

Police said Ludovit Gerhat, 34, of Blackwater Road, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on March 4, having pleaded guilty to breaching his registered sex offender requirements.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said, He will now also remain a registered sex offender for a further ten years and will continue to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), severely restricting his access to digital communications devices and to children for the same further period.

Gerhat had been convicted in August 2021 of possessing indecent images of children and had been given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

As part of his registration requirements Gerhat had to make any digital communication devices accessible to police via monitoring software, and later that year officers detected attempts to wipe material from his devices, according to police.

Officers said on inspection they found he had accessed more than 200 videos and 100 other indecent images of children from the internet, including some in the most serious categories.

PC Louise Blacker, of the East Sussex team responsible for monitoring registered sex offenders in the community, said, Gerhat clearly felt he could get away with this, but did not realise that we can effectively monitor him and help ensure communities are protected.

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A SERIAL sex offender is wanted by police after sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl.

Jason Reddy, 56, was arrested after police investigated a report that the girl had been assaulted at an address in Hillside Road, Hastings in June 2018.

After seizing his electronics, officers found videos Reddy had made showing further girls, under 18 years old, in the shower at the same house.

He was charged with the sexual assault of a girl under 13 and two counts of voyeurism.

Reddy, an engineer from Hastings, was then released under court bail but fled before the trial could take place.

He was convicted in his absence on January 31 and was sentenced last week to three years for the sexual assault offence, and 12 months for voyeurism to run consecutively.

Detective Sergeant Kelly Yates said: "This case shows that we will continue to pursue prosecutions against sexual offenders, even if they are at large.

We continue to search for Jason Reddy and when he's found, he will be made to serve his sentence.

"I'd like to commend the victim in this case, whose bravery in coming forward helped us secure this conviction and identify further offences committed by Reddy."

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A SERIAL offender has been jailed for ten years for raping a teenage girl he befriended in the street.

Glenn Trevor Williams, 62, raped and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl before taking an indecent photo of her, at his flat in Bexhill.

Williams had been in Warrior Square, St Leonards, in July 2018, when he came across the girl and her then boyfriend, who appeared to be in some distress.

Taking advantage of their vulnerability, he invited them back to his flat on the pretext of helping them find accommodation and work.

He then plied them with drink and assaulted the girl when she tried to sleep.

The couple reported that they felt the alcohol had been spiked with a drug which quickly made them sleepy.

Detective Constable Liz Brunt of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Williams has many previous convictions for theft and violence, including two for sexual offences involving children.

"He had been convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child for which he received six months' imprisonment.

"In 2018 he was convicted of inciting a female child under 16 to engage in a sexual act.

For this he received a four-year custodial sentence.

"It is clear that Williams is a manipulative and opportunistic predator and the fact that he is now behind bars is in no small part due to the evidence the couple gave against him."

Williams, who is unemployed, has been given a 15-year sentence, with the first ten years spent in prison and the other five on extended prison licence supervision.

He will be a registered sex offender for life, and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) severely restricting his access to children, to last indefinitely.

He had been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old man.

For information on how to report sexual offences and the support that is available, see the Sussex Police website.

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A man from Camber in East Sussex has been jailed after raping two teenage girls.

Scott Mucklow, 29, of Denham Way, Camber was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court on Thursday, February 14, and will be a registered sex offender for life.

He was given a 13-year sentence following an investigation by Sussex safeguarding detectives.

Mucklow was sentenced after previously being convicted of raping a teenage girl who at the time was 14-years-old at his address.

As well as this, he was also convicted of three counts of rape with another girl who was aged between 16 and 17 several years later, one of which was at an address nearby Lydd, Kent, and the other two at his own address.

Sussex police confirmed he was found not guilty of an offence of coercive and controlling conduct against the second victim.

Detective Constable Paul Harrison of the East Sussex Safeguardng Investigations Unit said: "Mucklow had seen his first victim in the street near his home, and although several years older than her, he eventually got her to home to his house, where he raped her. She felt unable to report this until 2017.

""He later formed a relationship with his second victim and raped her several times. However she became aware of the allegation by the first victim, as we interviewed Mucklow about it, and although initially supportive of him, once she had escaped that relationship and reflected on what had happened to her too, then contacted us.

"We were then able to fully investigate the offending against both girls and bring him to justice, with their support which included giving evidence against him in court.

"Mucklow was a predatory and oppressive exploiter of these two young girls. This sentencing shows once more that we can successfully investigate such people and provide support to their vicitms."