Benfleet: Abuse victim thanks officers after his abuser jailed

Our officers have been thanked for treating a sexual abuse victim with “compassion and respect” after their abuser was jailed for a total of more than 17 years.

63 year-old Andrew Dutton, of Dean Street, Blackpool, abused two boys in Benfleet in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Our investigation by our Quest team – which investigates non-recent child sexual abuse – started after the offences were reported to us in March and April 2019.

Dutton was later charged with 10 offences:
• Five counts of indecent assault;
• Five counts of indecency with a child.

He was found guilty of all charges on Wednesday 15 June following a trial at Basildon Crown Court.

At the same court two days later, he was jailed for a total of 17 and-a-half years.

One of his victims, who is remaining anonymous, said:

“When I first came forward, I never thought I would get so far as to see my abuser sentenced.
“DC Emily Monk led the investigation, treating me with compassion and respect. She provided reassurance and support during the 18-month investigation into my abusers crimes.
“On behalf of me and my family I cannot thank her and her team of officers enough for the role they played in achieving a conviction.
“The Achieving Best Evidence practice, where a victim’s statement is obtained in a video interview, made the court process less harrowing, as did having an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate supporting me on the day.
“That said, the myriad of lies the defendant perpetrated to try and escape justice still made being cross examined a brutal experience.
“But I can say to other victims is the knowledge you are telling the truth will give you the strength to get through it.
“You can say to a defendant’s barrister ‘no, what you are saying is not correct, that is something that has been made up and is untrue’.
“I would like to thank Jane Oldfield who prosecuted the case in court for her work.
“To see her slowly, piece by piece, lay bare for all to see the defendant’s guilt was quite something.
“It was a lengthy trial and DC Monk and DS Shirley Cole (from the Quest team) were on hand with calming reassurance together with staff from the Witness Service.
“Coming forward as a victim of this sort of crime takes courage and will be stressful at times. But these criminals can be brought to justice.
“Andrew Dutton is a disgusting, manipulative, remorseless child sex abuser.
“He ruthlessly exploited my vulnerability as a teenager and young adult for his own sexual gratification.
“His sentence will take away his retirement as punishment.”

Investigating officer Detective Constable Emily Monk said:

“I want to praise the courage and bravery of Andrew Dutton’s victims.
“The ordeals he subjected them two have had long lasting impacts on their mental wellbeing.
“I cannot imagine what they have been through but I’m pleased Dutton has now been held accountable for his actions.
“I hope this result will help his victims move forward.”

You can find out more about our Quest team, the other teams who investigate sexual offences, and how we support victims on our information page about our Sexual Abuse Investigation Team.

If you have any information about a crime you can submit a report online or use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

You can also call us on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.