Locations
Clutton's Close, Crowland, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE6
Description
Martin Fawcett, 55, of Cluttons Close, Crowland, was recently sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years’ old.
The result brought a lengthy eight-month investigation to a close and gave his victim some sense of closure – even if the road ahead is long.
Like all cases of this type, it required a huge effort involving teams from across Lincolnshire Police.
Response officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, digital forensics experts and child communication experts all played their part.
So did the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) Team.
Working alongside the Crown Prosecution Service, everyone worked to build a case that had the best chance of success.
It began when a brave family made the decision to put their faith in the police force to protect their child and to get justice for what had happened to them.
Officers worked with the family in those initial hours to gather vital evidence and to ensure that the suspect was arrested as soon as possible.
This was so that he could be processed for evidence and interviewed.
Once work had begun, the case was referred to the Protecting Vulnerable People department, a specialist investigation unit specialising in sexual offences against children (among others).
An Officer in the Case was assigned to coordinate the investigation.
Detectives worked with response officers and crime scene investigators to gather evidence from the crime scene.
These were what police call ‘Golden Hour Enquiries’– evidence gathering in the earliest stages of the investigation when evidence is in abundance and most vulnerable to loss or degradation.
This included a full search of the offence location, seizure of electronic devices, and gathering forensic evidence.
Vitally, during these early stages, the full extent of risk to the victim, family, suspect, and the public was established, and strategies were put into play to manage these risks.
Detectives worked with the family, the victim’s school, and MOSOVO to ensure that risk was effectively managed.
This continued throughout, as well as during the build up to court and sentencing, including support from our Neighbourhood Policing Team who monitored potential tensions arising from the case and spoke with the local people about their concerns.
Longer term investigative action then began, including reviewing and downloading digital devices (with the support of our Police Online Investigation Team and our Digital Forensics Unit), analysing forensics.
A further interview with the suspect was undertaken as new evidence came to light, as well as gathering statements from disclosure witnesses.
During this stage, detectives also worked with a Registered Intermediary (a child communication expert) to complete a video recorded interview with the young victim.
This was to ensure that when their evidence was presented in court, it would be the best evidence.
Finally, once all evidence had been gathered and analysed, the Officer in Case was responsible for pulling this together ready to go to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
The case officer worked with the Officer in the Case to review unused material and third-party material, ensuring that there was full disclosure to ensure a fair trial for the suspect.
Detective Brennan said, “It was an honour to lead this investigation and to work alongside dedicated colleagues who consistently demonstrate a victim-centred, suspect-focused approach to investigation.
“As a team, we are so grateful that the victim’s family put their trust in us to get them the justice they deserved.
“We hope that this positive outcome will encourage other victims to come forward.”