Kesgrave man convicted of sexual offences
He's been jailed
A 49-year-old man from Kesgrave has been convicted of sexual assault.
Alan Fitzpatrick of Edmonton Road in Kesgrave was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday (27 January) to 32 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a male and two counts of failure to comply with the Sex Offenders register.
It follows an incident where the victim, a male aged in his early 20s, stayed with Fitzpatrick in the early hours of 1 February 2020 and slept on a sofa.
The victim woke during the night to find his clothing pulled down and Fitzpatrick beside him naked from the waist down. The victim then fled the house unsure of what had happened to him.
Fitzpatrick was subsequently arrested later the same morning and taken to Martlesham Police investigation Centre for questioning and following police enquiries he was charged with sexual assault on a male and two counts of failure to comply with the Sex Offenders register.
Officer enquiries established that over 650 WhatsApp messages had been exchanged between Fitzpatrick and his victim and throughout those text messages, it became very apparent that Fitzpatrick was trying to groom the victim.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Jared Fortune said:
"I have had the honour to bear witness to the tremendous courage exhibited by the aggrieved party through the tumultuous months that followed this heinous crime.
"He has shown an astounding level of support for the investigation whilst overcoming a sense of despair that arose from this evil perpetrator's manipulative betrayal.
"It is deeply inspiring to see how this victim no longer sees themselves as such and wishes to help others who have been similarly affected - such positivity demonstrates that, indeed, good can come of even the darkest of incidents."