Police said Eastbourne Paedophile Simon Hutchinson, 53, an unemployed man now residing on Hailsham Road in Stone Cross, was arrested at Hove Crown Court on April 22 following a conviction on 14 crimes pertaining to the sexual assault of a young child over several years.
Police said the man admitted to four charges of rape, seven acts of sexual assault, all of which were done multiple times, and three counts of possessing pornographic images of children.
Authorities claim that twelve years of the 17-year sentence would be spent in jail, with the remaining five years spent on extended prison licence monitoring and concurrently registered as a lifetime sex offender.
Authorities claim that Simon Hutchinson was detained the same day the victim told a friend about the continuous attack; she promptly reported the crime to the police.
Thanks in great part to the victim’s bravery and ongoing cooperation as well as a comprehensive police investigation, Simon Hutchinson entered a pre-trial plea at Lewes Crown Court on March 3.
Judge Jeremy Gold sentenced Simon Hutchinson to “an horrific array of entrenched and systematic torture”.
“This was a very disturbing case in which the defendant, who lived in Eastbourne at the time, clearly groomed the victim from a very young age,” said Detective Constable Tania Snashall of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Division.
“The victim’s bravery in speaking out was the only reason the abuse stopped; she might now start to live her life free from violence and anxiety.
“I hope the sentence lets the victim and her family begin to rebuild their life and clearly shows the gravity of the offending by Mr Simon Hutchinson.”
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