Man jailed for child sex offences

A man who used social media to contact a woman he sexually abused as a teenager 10 years earlier is jailed for nine years thanks to work by specialist child abuse detectives.

Christopher Curtis, 46, was sentenced to a total of nine years imprisonment for six counts of sexual activity with a child when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday 4 April.

In July 2018, the woman received a social media message from a man asking her if she wanted to rekindle their friendship and to get in contact. It wasn’t until he explained who he was, that the woman realised it was the same man who had abused her 10 years earlier.

The woman contacted police immediately.

Curtis had approached the woman as a teenager via social media in August 2008 and arranged to meet her, saying he was 23. It was during this first meeting that he forced her to engage in sexual activity.

He then routinely made contact to meet the victim until July 2009.

Officers from the Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) arrested Curtis on suspicion of rape at his home address in August 2018.

Christopher Curtis, 46, of Queen Annes Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea, was charged with six counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child but he denied all charges when he appeared at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court on 18 January 2021.

A jury found Curtis guilty of all six counts when he stood trial at Basildon Crown Court on February 1 and he was remanded in custody, awaiting sentencing.

Detective Constable Adam Clarke, CAIT, investigating, said:

“I want to praise the victim for coming forward. It has not been easy for her, but she has shown immense strength in telling her story and seeing the trial through to conclusion.
“She has helped jail a dangerous predator so that he cannot do this to anyone else.
“I would like to encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward: you too will be supported by specialist officers and partner agencies to bring about an end to such a dreadful crime.”

Curtis will be released on licence for a further five years. He will remain on the Child Sex Offender register for life and an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim is in place.

Christopher Curtis was charged with six counts of sexual activity with a child and sentenced on each count as follows.

• Count one - seven years
• Count two - nine years
• Count three - six years
• Count four - eight years
• Count five - six years
• Count six - eight years

All sentences will run concurrently.

If you know anyone who is engaging in sexual activities with children, or if you are a victim, call us and we will make it stop.

Find out more about the work of our Child Abuse Investigation Team on our Sexual Abuse Investigation Team page.