Uttlesford man jailed for 19 years for child sex offences
He's been convicted of offences dating back to the 1990s
An Uttlesford man has been jailed for 19 years after being convicted of sexual offences against children dating back to the 1990s.
66 year old Gary Staines, of Marks Hall Lane in Margaret Roding, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday to be sentenced over the offences, which happened across a nine year period.
The victim came forward to police in 2020 to report what happened to her.
Staines was arrested and charged with four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and one count of incitement to commit an act of gross indecency - with the first offences dating to 1991.
He was found guilty following a trial in Chelmsford.
Investigating Officer DC Jane Egerton, of Essex Police, said: “I really commend the victim in this case, who demonstrated immense bravery during a long investigation.
“These are complex investigations but there is often a misconception that a report needs to be made right away and that there needs to be forensic evidence to get a result.
“This is not the case and we appreciate that victims of abuse may not be in the position to report right away.
“Staines manipulated the victim into thinking his actions were normal which is often the situation with cases such as these.
"We must not underestimate the detrimental effect that abuse can have on a victim. Victims are often worried that they will not be believed, or they may feel embarrassed or ashamed that they have not come forward before.
“Our Quest team are trained in dealing with investigations such as these and if you’re a victim, you will be believed and you will be supported."