The 55-year-old Teesside Paedophile, Darren Hinson, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for historical child sexual assault from anonymously provided information to a children’s charity initiated a comprehensive police investigation.
In 2022, the NSPCC received a referral indicating that two children had been sexually abused by Darren Hinson several years prior.
The information was relayed to specialised detectives from Cleveland Police’s CAVA unit, with Detective Sergeant Natasha Vaughan identifying and contacting the two ladies involved in the case.
She informed them that the elapsed time did not impede the police’s ability to take action against Darren Hinson, and they were provided with suitable support.
The women confirmed that Hinson had sexually abused them as vulnerable children aged between 4 and 10 years old and that his horrific offending had continued over a period of years.
The complex and extensive investigation continued and in 2023 Darren Hinson was charged with 16 non-recent sexual offences against two children; the offences included sexual touching and rape.
On 16th August this year a jury at Teesside Crown Court found Darren Hinson guilty of all 16 counts and he was immediately remanded into custody until his sentencing at the same court.
Darren Hinson will be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and he’ll be subject to stringent conditions and monitoring on his release from prison.
Det Sgt Vaughan said: “Because we received the information from a third party, the victim-survivors received contact from the police out of the blue, so I had to be very mindful of this and the impact it would have on them.
“Both women displayed great courage though, and they fully supported our investigations from the outset.
“I’m so grateful for this and I hope this result brings a degree of comfort as they continue to process everything they’ve been through.”
CAVA Chief Inspector Matt Murphy King added: “I’m extremely glad and grateful that someone took the time to report Darren Hinson’s abuse to the NSPCC. Darren Hinson might have thought he’d never face justice for his abhorrent actions but he has now been held accountable for what he did.
“Anyone who has experienced abuse of any nature, whether recent or non-recent, can report via this organisation if they don’t feel able to contact police.
“If you do feel able to speak to police, I can promise you my specially trained officers will listen to you, they will believe you and they will support you.
“We can also put you in contact with our excellent specialist local organisations who can also give you bespoke advice and support during the police investigation and the entire court process.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.