Colchester: Victim praises officers as rapist is jailed for 10 years

A domestic abuse victim who was repeatedly raped, controlled and imprisoned against her will has praised the specialist officers who brought her tormentor to justice.

The determined woman, who is entitled to lifelong anonymity by law, spoke of her relief after abusive 38-year-old Daniel Cox, of Albany Gardens, Colchester, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.

She stood strong throughout a trial at Ipswich Crown Court, telling a jury how Cox sexually abused her and threatened her with violence to exert control over her.

'Officers helped me find my strength'

She said:

“Going through everything I went through felt like hell.
“I am relieved he was found guilty of some of the charges and I am grateful for the support of the officers involved in the case.
“I don’t think I would have had the strength to even go to court otherwise.”

During the trial, the court was told Cox controlled who the complainant spoke to and even how long she could spend in the toilet.

He would tell her when she could go to bed and what she could wear, controlling her calls and visits to see friends.

Cox physically prevented her from leaving his address, manipulated her and threatened violence against her if she did not comply.

Ignoring her pain and pleas for him to stop, he raped her on several occasions.

The victim’s understandable fear of her abuser persisted throughout this period, but with the support of specialist officers, she supported our efforts to bring Cox to justice.

The defendant was arrested and on Monday 3 July, was convicted of three counts of rape, one count of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of false imprisonment.

He was found not guilty on four counts of assault by penetration and one count of making threats to kill.

Cox must sign the sex offenders' register for life and will remain the subject of an indefinite restraining order.

Speaking following sentence, Cox’s victim said she “still feels she is only half the person she used to be”.

'He made me feel like it was my fault'

She said:

“I could hardly eat while the court case was ongoing, as I just felt sick and I felt at my lowest.
“He got in my head and he messed with my mind, he made me feel like I was going insane and even when he did the most disgusting things to me, he made me feel it was my fault and even made me apologise to him.
“He was vile and disgusting, I truly believed he would kill me.”

Early on in the investigation, the defendant was identified as a ‘high risk’ domestic abuse perpetrator by the specialist Domestic Abuse Problem Solving Team (DAPST).

The team takes a proactive approach to monitoring and building intelligence against the most serious offenders.

DC Jade Lawton, officer in charge of the case, said:

“Thanks to the proactive work of the DAPST team, we were able to target Cox effectively and get him into custody on remand before he could cause further harm.
“Watching his behaviour during the trial, he was utterly without remorse.
“Cox is one of the most dangerous and manipulative perpetrators of domestic abuse the DAPST team has encountered.
“Vulnerable women and girls in Essex will be safer with him behind bars.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to Cox’s victim. She faced recounting the most horrific abuse in front of a courtroom full of strangers, and she did so because she knew it was what it would take to see justice served on her abuser.
“She has displayed courage, patience and dignity throughout this lengthy process, and I would echo her message to any other victims who may be considering whether to come forward.
“We are here to help you. We will support you and we will fight your corner until you are safe and out of harm’s way.
“Our investigation into Cox was relentless, determined and persistent.
“Where we identify such high-harm offenders, we act decisively to bring them to justice.”

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