Littlehampton husband and wife sentenced for catalogue of sex offences

A husband and wife who subjected young girls to horrific sexual abuse have been jailed for a total of 19 years for their crimes.

The woman in her 30s and man in his 50s from Littlehampton appeared at Chichester Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to offences including rape, indecent assault, aiding and abetting buggery and witness intimidation.

The complex case was investigated by the Child Protection Team at Bognor following a report from a young woman in March 2008 to a rape crisis centre that she had been abused by the couple in 2003 when she was aged just 12. At the time, she did not wish to make a report to police.

Just over a year later, a second teenager disclosed to her school that she had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the couple when she was 14 and a third victim - who was 13 at the time - was then identified by police.

Whilst enquiries were continuing into the pair, the first victim bravely decided that she would support a police prosecution.

In total they were charged with a total of 27 offences. They pleaded guilty to 12 - three against the wife and nine against the husband - and the remaining offences remain on file.

DC John Dudley, who investigated the case over 11 months, said: "This man was a sexual predator who preyed on young girls for his own gratification, aided by his own wife.

"The victims were groomed by the pair over a period of time before the offences started, and they got progressively more serious. The couple were very insistent that the girls were welcome round their house at any time before they were encouraged to sleep over. This then lead to them staying in their bedroom where the majority of offences took place.

"There is no doubt in my mind that if they had not been caught they would have continued their abuse."

At Chichester Crown Court on Friday (26 March) the man was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for his crimes; he was also made subject of an IPP (imprisonment for public protection) and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. His wife was jailed for five years.

Detective Sergeant Jez Prior, who runs the Child Protection Team at Bognor, said: "The seriousness of these offences shocked everyone who was involved in the enquiry and I'm pleased to see that this couple have been jailed for a considerable length of time for their despicable crimes.

"The girls who came forward and spoke to police about what had happened to them showed extreme bravery and courage.

"Officers working in the Child Protection Team have a difficult job but they are all specially trained to deal with sensitive cases such as this. We will continue to fully investigate any allegation that is reported to us and to get justice for victims, as we have done in this case."