Poole man given 19 year jail term for child sex abuse
39-year-old Christopher James Attwood's victims were primary school age
A child sex offender from Poole has been jailed for 19 years after being found guilty of multiple offences.
Christopher James Attwood, aged 39 from Countess Close, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 3rd November).
He had been found guilty of two counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault at an earlier trial.
As well as the prison sentence, Attwood has been placed on the sex offenders' register for life, and will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.
Praise for victims
Dorset Police have paid tribute to two victims for coming forward to tell their story.
The first victim spoke to police in August 2018, telling them she'd been raped and sexually assaulted by Attwood at an address in Bournemouth in 2002, when she was 11 years old.
A second victim then came forward in March 2021 to say she'd been repeatedly sexually abused by him between 2001 and 2011, starting when she was of primary school age.
The offences occurred in the Bournemouth, Poole and Southampton areas.
Detective Constable Ade Stocker, of Dorset Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT), said:
“I would like to praise the first victim in this case for her commitment and immense courage in reporting what happened to her. With the support of her family and friends Dorset Police was able to complete a detailed investigation, which has led to Attwood’s conviction.
“I hope the outcome of this case demonstrates that we will extensively and thoroughly investigate incidents of this nature and I would encourage any victims of sexual abuse to come forward and report it to Dorset Police.”
Detective Constable Sara Watts, of CAIT, added:
“I would like to pay tribute to the second victim in this case and her family for their bravery in reporting these offences and allowing Dorset Police to carry out a thorough investigation.
“I am pleased that Christopher Attwood is now serving a term of imprisonment for his offending that he subjected his victims to. I hope this case demonstrates that we take reports of this nature extremely seriously and Dorset Police will continue to fully support victims of sexual abuse.”