Latest Offenders Suffolk

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Police also found a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone aid made to resemble a child’s genitals.

The headteacher of a primary school who had a haul of child abuse material, including a paedophile manual and over one million indecent images, has been jailed for six years. Thomas Singleton, 41, was also one of the safeguarding leads at the school.

He was arrested by the National Crime Agency in February 2021, after investigators found he had accessed indecent images of children online from his house. Officers seized laptops and a number of digital storage devices from his home.

They also recovered a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone sex aid made to resemble a child’s genitals. Singleton does not have any children and when questioned, he could provide no explanation for who the doll and clothing belonged to.

Analysis of his electronic devices showed he had 1,050,448 indecent images of children in categories A-C, 45,216 prohibited images of children, and 52 extreme pornographic images. Within those were a collection of pseudo-images, which had been created by Singleton by superimposing himself into photos so it looked like he was engaging in sexual activity with children.

A 170 page paedophile manual was found on Singleton’s hard drive. The introduction to the document explains that it is ‘a guide to practicing sex with children without fear of doing harm’. It contains a number of chapters which provide advice and guidance on how to sexually abuse children and avoid being detected.

Officers also recovered a number of online chat logs in which he spoke with other like-minded individuals about child sexual abuse. Some chats show him partaking in ‘age play’, where both users participate in a fantasy in which one of them pretends to be a child engaging in sexual activity with the other.

On his devices and stored around his home, Singleton had documents which described child abuse scenarios and could be ‘personalised’ to include names of the user’s choosing. These also corresponded to hand-drawn flowcharts found in his house. Some of the charts were stored in a folder labelled ‘Tom’s Action Folder’ and described detailed sexual acts between the reader and the subject of the flowchart.

Singleton, from Suffolk, resigned as a teacher during the course of the investigation. He was charged with eight offences, including taking indecent pseudo-images of a child (categories A-B), making indecent images (categories A-C) and possession of a paedophile manual.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

NCA Operations Manager Michael Parkinson said: “As a safeguarding lead and the Head of a primary school, Singleton supposedly represented a dependable figure of safety and trust for young children, their families and the school community. This investigation showed he grossly abused that position.

“His house was filled with a large, disturbing collection of items which proved beyond doubt his sexual interest in children. Of particular concern was an extensive paedophile manual which offered explicit, practical guidance on how to carry out abuse.

“This case highlights how an offender’s behaviour can escalate, from downloading abuse material to finding a community of like-minded individuals online who normalise and even encourage this criminal behaviour.

“Identifying such individuals at the earliest opportunity and disrupting this pattern of offending before they can commit real-world abuse is a top priority for the National Crime Agency.”

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A 26-year-old Stowmarket man who was found to have downloaded more than 2,000 indecent images and movies of children after he took his mobile phone into a shop in Ipswich has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Staff at the Vodafone shop in the town contacted the police after spotting indecent images on Luke Crightons phone when he took it into the shop for an upgrade, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Following his arrest, Crighton told officers: I know Ive done wrong. Im trying to stop and get help. How long will I go to prison for?

Crighton, of Eve Balfour Way, Stowmarket, admitted six offences of making indecent images and videos of children and two offences of producing two indecent videos of children.

Juliet Donovan, prosecuting, said that in addition to Crightons phone police had seized other devices from him and when they were analysed they were found to contain 495 still indecent images of children and 140 movies in the most serious level A category, 319 still images and 28 movies in category B and 1,147 images and 44 movies in the lowest level C category.

Police also discovered two category C indecent movies of children that Crighton had filmed himself.

Sentencing Crighton, Judge Emma Peters described what hed done as a disgusting addiction" and described the indecent images and videos as vile.

She gave Crighton a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered him to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

She also ordered him to take part in a sex offenders treatment programme and gave him a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Crighton, who has a ten-month-old baby, was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.

He was also ordered to pay 380 costs.

Claire Matthews, for Crighton, said he realised he was in jeopardy of an immediate custodial sentence.

She said he had made admissions to the police from the outset and had been open with his family about what hed done.

Miss Matthews said Crighton came from a good law-abiding family who did not understand or condone his behaviour.

She said Crighton had moved back home with his parents and his family was now ensuring he didnt re-offend.

Miss Matthews said Crighton had completed eight two-hour group work sessions to address his offending behaviour.

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A MAN has been jailed after being convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls. John Andow, 78, knew exactly what he was doing when his physical contact with his two child victims turned sexual, Chelmsford Crown Court heard. The sex offender had denied seven counts of sexual activity with a child, but was convicted of two counts following a trial last month. Andow, of Normandie Way, Bures, was acquitted of five counts - and he was cleared of a further count of causing a child to watch a sexual act. At a sentencing hearing, statements were read which detailed the trauma felt by Andows two victims. One victim said the offence had affected her ability to communicate and her relationships with people. Its affected everything, she said. The girl said she suffered from insomnia, adding that since the assault she cant bear to be touched. The second victim said: In my head it was chaos. I felt completely on my own, noone understood how I felt or what Id been through. Judge Timothy Walker said each of the offences involved touching two girls under their clothing. He said: You would start massaging and progressively move up. The massages lasted between ten and 20 minutes. Turning to one victim, he said: You told her not to do anything that she didnt want to and if she was uncomfortable then she should use a stop word chocolate. You knew exactly what you were doing. He added: In evidence you accepted that you had massaged both girls and you went as far as accepting the area of their sternums although you denied massaging their breasts. Unsurprisingly, you were not believed. Roderick Johnson QC, mitigating, described the offences as short-lived temptation. He added: The temptation arose which led Mr Andow to momentarily lose his moral compass which had otherwise been his guide all his life. Mr Johnson said the victim impact statements should be tempered, with the jury having rejected most of the allegations made. But Judge Walker said Andow had carried out two sexual assaults on vulnerable girls. He sentenced to 30 months in prison and made him subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order prohibiting unsupervised contact with children.

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An Ipswich paedophile who downloaded indecent images and videos of children, including babies, and distributed them to other people has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Sentencing 47-year-old Edmund Hall Judge Emma Peters described some of the videos and images, especially some of babies being abused, as horrific and said: For some inexplicable reason you have an interest in the sexual abuse of babies.

She said when he was 17 Hall had joined the Catholic priesthood and had had to repress his sexuality.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that police officers seized an iPhone from Edmund Halls home in May 2021 and when it was analysed it was found to contain more than 200 indecent images and videos of children.

Nicola May, prosecuting, said that 58 of the indecent images of and 55 videos were in the most serious level A category, 60 of the still images and 16 videos were in category B and 15 still images were in the lowest level C category.

She said some of the children in the images and videos were under a year old.

In addition to the indecent images and videos of children a prohibited image of a child was also found.

Miss May said Hall had used search terms including babies, paedo, younger and rape to search for the material.

There was also evidence that Hall had been distributing indecent images and videos of children to like minded people and had given advice about how to hide what they were doing.

Hall, 47, of Dunlop Road, Ipswich admitted three offences of making indecent images and videos of children in May last year, one offence of possessing a prohibited image of children, five offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and four offences of distributing indecent images of children.

The court heard that Hall has previous convictions for making indecent images of children dating back to 2013.

He is currently the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which has been ordered to continue. He will also have to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Lynne Shirley for Hall said he was remorseful and had spent some time in custody.

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A SEX offender who was caught touching a womans feet on a train told his victim: I bet you wish you had a boyfriend like me. Samuel Creed, 21, was jailed for more than two years after sexually assaulting two women. The predator was hit with a criminal behaviour order after he was convicted of a sexual assault carried out at Stowmarket railway station in February 2020. The order banned him from travelling on the railway network or speaking to any passengers. But he breached the order under a year later when he approached another woman on a train between Manningtree and Colchester. In May last year, Creed approached the victim and started speaking to her about her shoes. The woman ignored him, but he touched her shoes and squeezed her ankle, telling her: I bet you wish you had a boyfriend like me to do this to you at night.

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A Suffolk man who sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for 10 years.

Ross Smith, 33, of Banham Road, Beccles, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentence on Monday having previously been convicted of three offences.

Smith had denied three counts of causing or inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity but was found guilty by a jury at trial.

The offending took place between 2018 and 2019.

The court heard that Smith had no previous similar convictions.

At the sentencing hearing, the victim's mother described Smith's offending as "despicable" and outlined the impact it had had on her daughter and their family in a statement read by prosecutor Andrew Thompson.

Judge Emma Peters jailed Smith for 10 years, with an extended licence period of five years.

Smith must serve at least two thirds of the 10-year sentence in custody before he will be eligible for parole.

The judge also ordered Smith to sign the sex offenders' register for life, and imposed a indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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A 'depraved' 34-year-old man from Felixstowe has been jailed for arranging to meet a 14-year-old for sex.

Aaron Morrison, of High Street, was jailed for 35 months at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, January 24, after he pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

It centred on communication he had with a person purporting to be 14 years old in December 2020 via a mobile phone and saw Morrison make several attempts to meet them to have sex.

Morrison was first arrested in December 2020 following police investigations into his mobile phone.

It was established that he was sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old.

Morrison attended different locations in Essex to meet the victim to carry out the intended act, say police.

In June last year Morrison was subsequently charged with two offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. He later pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a sexual offence, which happened at the start of December 2020.

Detective Constable James Lait said: Although the victim and Morrison never met, the sentence handed down reflects the depraved nature of Morrison.

"I hope the outcome of this case reassures members of the public that we take such allegations of online predatory behaviour on the young and vulnerable extremely seriously and work to safeguard victims as quickly as possible.

"We will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.

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A pupil has described how he felt "totally disgusted" after being sexually assaulted by a former teacher at a Norfolk school.

Henry Golding, 32, was a teacher at Flegg High Academy in Martham, near Great Yarmouth.

Norwich Crown Court heard the teenage victim was in a class with Golding when, Richard Kelly, prosecuting, said, Golding began to touch the victim, "tickling the back of his left thigh".

Mr Kelly said that as the victim walked out of the classroom Golding "put his right hand onto his bottom and kept it there as they walked out".

As the teen left the classroom Golding said to him "don't avoid me".

Police were later informed about the incident.

Golding, of Woodland Place, Great Barton, Bury St Edmunds, later admitted sexual assault and appeared at court on Tuesday (November 16) for sentence.

He also admitted three counts of making indecent images of children relating to a total of 209 images, including four of Category A which are the most serious.

Before Golding was sentenced, the victim read out a statement in court describing how he felt shocked and embarrassed.

He said he has been betrayed by Golding whose actions have meant he lost a lot of trust in people as a result, adding: "I trusted him and now feel totally disgusted."

The mother of the victim, who also made a statement in court, said: "We as his parents feel very angry. We trusted his school teacher to keep him safe.

Jailing Golding for a total of 17 months, Judge Andrew Shaw said the offence represented "the most egregious breach of trust" against a vulnerable victim.

Hugh Vass, mitigating, said Golding, who was a man of previous good character, had made a fateful error in a "one-off" incident which had been wholly unwanted and wholly inappropriate.

He said Golding will never teach again or work with children and insisted to have a conviction like this was a badge of shame which hes got to carry for the rest of your life.

Golding was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and must also sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Speaking after the case, a spokesman for Flegg High Academy said: "We are absolutely appalled by the actions of this individual, which are completely out of line with the high standards and values we uphold as an academy, and the robust processes we have in place which ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all our students and staff.

As soon as we learned of the allegations, the individual was immediately suspended without prejudice, and following thorough investigation was dismissed."

They said they had been supporting those impacted and those who felt they needed support in the academy.

"We have also been supporting the police with their investigation throughout, which has led to todays sentencing.

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A convicted sex offender who travelled more than 150 miles to prey on a young girl in West Sussex has now been given a long sentence.

Gary Fenn, 50, of Saxon Road, Saxmundham, Suffolk, appeared in custody at Hove Crown Court on Friday 5 November and was given a nine-year extended sentence, comprising five years imprisonment and four extended period on prison release licence.

He had been convicted of sexual assaulting the girl, who was under 13, and of two breaches of Sex Offender Registration Notification requirements.

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

Detective Constable Emily Turner of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said; "In June this year Fenn, already registered sex offender, previously been convicted of offences involving indecent images of children, used a dating website to get to know a woman and travelled to Southwick in Sussex to meet her.

"He used this opportunity to meet and sexually touch her young daughter. However the girl quickly escaped the situation and informed her mother who then contacted the police.

"We swiftly investigated and arrested Fenn who was then charged on the authority of the CPS. He has been in custody ever since his arrest."

In sentencing him, Judge Shani Barnes said: "We cannot underestimate the damage caused to the family by Fenn taking this opportunity to offend."

Emily Turner added: "The bravery of this young lady in standing up against what she knew to be wrong and by supporting this prosecution has undoubtedly kept other children safe from this predatory paedophile who has previous convictions for sexual offending."

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A Hadleigh paedophile who raped a young girl and took pictures of the abuse has been jailed for 15 years.

Martin Woods, 42, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentence on Thursday after previously admitting seven offences relating to two victims.

On April 9 at his plea and trial preparation hearing, Woods pleaded guilty to raping a child under the age the age of 13, sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13, two counts of taking indecent images of a child, and three charges of making indecent images of children.

The abuse happened during 2020, the court heard.

Claire Matthews, prosecuting, told the court Woods was arrested last year following a disclosure from one of the girls.

As a result of his arrest, devices were seized from his home, Ms Matthews said.

Recovered from Woods' mobile phone were a number of indecent images which showed him abusing the two girls.

Police also found four downloaded indecent images of children of the most serious kind - category A - along with two category B images and two category C images on an iPad.

Officers also discovered numerous internet searches for indecent images of young prepubescent girls, Ms Matthews told the court.

Woods, of Guthrum Road, Hadleigh, was further arrested for the indecent images offences but gave no comment to officers' questions in interview.

Sentencing Woods, Judge Emma Peters said the impact on the victims has been "profound".

Judge Peters called Woods' offending "horrific" and that his internet search history showed he had a sexual interest in young girls.

At the previous hearing, Judge Peters ordered a dangerousness report from the Probation Service to assess if Woods posed a risk to the public.

She told the court she was satisfied that Woods did present a risk to the public.

Judge Peters sentenced Woods to 15 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years.

Woods will have to serve two thirds of his custodial sentence behind bars, meaning he will serve a minimum of 10 years before he is considered for parole.

Judge Peters also imposed a indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A couple who subjected two children to an "abhorrent campaign of abuse" have been jailed for 22 years.

Rachel Burrows, 30, and Kevin Prewitt, 37, were sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court for their "inhuman and sadistic" acts over more than a year involving the two children, both under the age of 10.

Police were called to Prewitt's Myrtle Road home in Lowestoft in April 2020 when a 10-second indecent film and messages on his phone were discovered.

The pair were in a relationship and prosecutor Joanne Eley told the court police attended both homes and seized mobile phones and tablets and other items used in the images and videos.

Officers also found a Skype conversation between the pair from January 2020 until the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown discussing their plans, while examination of the videos found the victims "sobbing and whimpering."

A psychological report found the victims were both likely to develop complex PTSD.

The duo had previously admitted serious charges of sexual abuse of a child, including rape, while Prewitt also admitted three offences of making indecent images of children, and two offences of inciting or causing child exploitation.

Burrows, of Harris Avenue, Lowestoft, also admitted multiple serious sex abuse of a child charges, three offences of taking indecent images of children and an offence of inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Burrows, of Harris Avenue, Lowestoft, also admitted multiple serious sex abuse of a child charges, three offences of taking indecent images of children and an offence of inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Representing Prewitt, Laura Kenyon told the court he was engaging with services since being in custody, while Justin Rivett, for Burrows, said his client had a low IQ and she was "besotted" with Prewitt, but was "remorseful" for her actions.

Sentencing the pair to 22 years in custody, judge Rupert Overbury said: "What the pair of you did was beyond depraved and despicable. It was inhuman and sadistic.

"If your families have any sense they will disown you both because neither of you deserve a place in society until you have paid a high price for your actions."

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A Suffolk hotel manager who molested a schoolgirl has been jailed for nine months.

Adam Ali, former manager of the White Horse Hotel in Leiston, took the teenager to his room at the premises and sat on the bed and removed his shoes, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

He invited her to do the same and then put his leg over her while they were on the bed so he was three-quarters over her body, said Nicola May, prosecuting.

He told the 14-year-old: Dont worry, Im not going to kiss you, but she had panicked and didnt know what to do, said Miss May.

She thought if she shouted, she would make the situation worse, she said.

The court heard that, prior to that incident, Ali had kissed the girl on her neck, hugged her, massaged her shoulders and told her she was good-looking.

Miss May said Ali had received a caution in 2013 for indecently assaulting a 17-year old girl.

Ali, 36, of Parnell Road, Ipswich, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to five offences of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl in 2019.

In addition to being jailed, Ali was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Sentencing him, Judge Rupert Overbury accused him of molesting the victim of the offences after grooming her.

He said Ali had been put on notice that this sort of behaviour towards girls wasnt acceptable when he was given an earlier caution for indecent assaulting another teenager.

He said Ali had been testing the waters to see how far he could go when he sat on the bed in his room at the White Horse, removed his shoes and invited the girl to do the same.

Joanne Eley, for Ali, said her client had lost his job at the hotel as a result of the publicity the court proceedings had received.

She described Ali as a hard-working family man who had worked in the catering and hospitality industry for many years.

He had been the proprietor and licence holder of the White Horse and had invested 14,000 in stock and equipment.

He was no longer the licence holder and the new landlord didnt feel it appropriate to employ him because of adverse comments left on the hotels Facebook following publicity about the case.

Miss Eley said that friends of Ali and his family had also distanced themselves because of the court proceedings.

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A woman who sent naked pictures of a child to a man she met online after he promised her a job has been jailed for more than three years.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how Claire Kelly, 36, of Yew Drive, Brandon, was taken to hospital on August 21, 2019, following a suicide attempt.

She then disclosed to paramedics how she had sent indecent pictures of a child to a man she met via the internet.

Jamie Sawyer, prosecuting, said Kelly’s mobile phone was seized and conversations were discovered between her and a man known as ‘Craig Mwah’ via the Kik messenger application.

Kelly also communicated with another man called ‘Harry’, who she believed to be the son of ‘Craig’.

Police found that ten indecent images were sent and that Kelly also took three category B images, and 13 graded as category C, the court heard.

There was also evidence of discussions around involving a child in a sexual act, the court heard.

Kelly previously pleaded guilty before magistrates to distributing indecent photographs of a child, arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and taking indecent photographs of a child.

The court heard that ‘Craig’ promised Kelly a £35,000-a-year job with his firm as a personal assistant.

It was when Kelly challenged ‘Craig’ about the job that he and ‘Harry’ ceased contact.

It had not been possible for police to trace either ‘Craig Mwah’ or ‘Harry’, the court heard.

Joanne Eley, defending, said Kelly, who had no previous convictions, was “financially destitute” and in a “huge amount of debt”.

She said: “She feels huge remorse for what she did. Her remorse in this case is entirely genuine.”

Miss Eley added that Kelly had been in a “downward spiral” since 2013 and had suffered mental health difficulties with depression following the break-up of her marriage.

“She is a lady who was clearly struggling in the lead-up to these offences,” she said.

On Wednesday, Judge Emma Peters sentenced Kelly to a total of three years and two months in prison.

Kelly was also made to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which was also indefinite.

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A former Ipswich man accused of sexually assaulting two schoolgirls two decades ago has been jailed for 11 years.

Sentencing Mark Waterer, Judge Rupert Overbury described his actions as “pre-meditated and calculated” and said he had treated one of his victims as “an object rather than a person.”

“They were young teenage girls and there were elements of grooming in both cases,” said the judge.

He said the verdicts in respect of one of the victims showed the jury believed she was under 16 at the time of the offences, and had rejected Waterer’s claim that she was over 16 and had consented to what took place.

He said Waterer had sexually assaulted her: “Your ultimate goal was to have full sexual intercourse with her.”

Judge Overbury said Waterer had sexually assaulted the other at a flat where he was living alone.

He said both victims had been “substantially” affected by the abuse they had suffered and the trial had opened up old wounds.

“These events will stay with them and their families for the rest of their lives,” said the judge.

Waterer, 57, of Church Lane, Little Stonham, near Stowmarket, denied ten offences of indecent assault and three offences of indecency with a child.

Following his arrest in April 2015, Waterer said he was “gobsmacked” when he heard the allegations – which date back to the 1990s – against him.

But a jury at Ipswich Crown Court found him guilty of ten offences of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child. He was cleared of the other two offences.

Waterer was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life and Judge Overbury gave the prosecution 56 days to consider applying for a sexual harm prevention order.

Waterer denied having any sexual contact with one of the schoolgirls while she was under 16 but admitted he had consensual sexual contact with her after her 16th birthday.

The court heard he denied having any sexual contact with the other girl, Ipswich Crown Court hear.

Jude Durr, for Waterer, said his client had a “continuing and loving” relationship with his partner who was in poor health and he had been her carer before being remanded in custody.

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A man who raped a 12-year-old girl he had groomed on social media has been jailed for eight years. Oscar Fitzgerald, 26, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, arranged online to meet his victim and then drove her to his house. The girl was reported missing by her mother soon after and police began searches. She was found after texting her mother. Police said Fitzgerald, who was jailed at Norwich Crown Court on Friday, was a "dangerous sexual offender". Fitzgerald, who had lived at Church Road, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three counts of raping a girl under 13. Fitzgerald had made contact with the girl, from west Suffolk, on the same day she went missing last September and he was aware she was just 12, police said. 'Courage of victim' The victim told officers she had arrived at a house and was told to go upstairs, where she was then raped, despite telling him to stop. She texted her mother as she was walking home, after being dropped off at a bus-stop. Fitzgerald was arrested later at his home after the girl gave police his first name, the colour of his car, his phone number and described the two-bedroom house. Det Con Stephen Clarke, of Suffolk police, said he wanted to "commend the courage of the victim" who was able to give an "immediate detailed account". "It was this prompt action that led officers being able to identify and detain Fitzgerald. "We have been able to remove a dangerous sexual offender from the street," he said. Fitzgerald has been put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.