A sexual abuse survivor and her mother expressed their emotions following the sentencing of a man to 16 years in prison yesterday, South Ockendon Paedophile Ian McCarthy.
Ian McCarthy, 42, of Central Avenue, South Ockendon, was sentenced to 16 years’ jail for historical sexual offences against a minor at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday, 8 March.
The victim in this case courageously approached the police in 2020 to report that Ian McCarthy had perpetrated many sexual assaults against her from 2015 to 2020.
Subsequent to the report, Ian McCarthy is apprehended and brought in for interrogation. He is subsequently accused with multiple sexual crimes.
On 23 January of this year, he was adjudicated in court and found guilty of the following:
- Four counts of sexual assault against a child
- Two counts of digital penetration
- Five counts of rape of a child
- Two counts of Inciting a child by offering money
- One count of sexual activity by touching
- One count of sexual communication
On Wednesday 8 March, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison plus 2 years and 10 months on license. He was also given a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention order.
Speak to your children
Following the sentence, the mother of the victim described how they are both “still processing the result”. The victim’s mother said:
“All I want is for anyone reading this to speak with their children and grandchildren and make sure they’re reporting anything which has happened to them.
“I would 100% encourage people to report these offences to the police as they will be listened to.
“The police have been amazing in their approach, and I don’t think we would have got through this as a family without the investigating officer.”
Dignity and courage
Investigating officer in this case, Detective Constable Jeffery Wainman said:
“It’s felt a real honour to investigate this and support the family through this process.
“They have demonstrated a huge amount of dignity and courage to continue pushing on with the investigation despite it taking a large amount of time to get to this point.
“Ian McCarthy didn’t even grant the victim the respect to admit to what he did, putting them through the court process.
“I hope they feel as though they have the justice they deserve. I hope that they can now find closure and flourish as a family again.”
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.