Essex Police top force in the country at bringing sex offenders to justice

Tenacious specialist teams dedicated to tackling serious sexual offending across Essex have seen the force ranked the best in the country at bringing predators to justice.

Essex Police is ranked 1st out of 43 forces across the UK for its sexual offences conviction rate, spanning the 12 months until May 2023.

Across the county, an unmatched 91.3% of sexual offence cases ended with a successful conviction, compared against the 84.5% average nationally.

Our officers solved 576 sexual offences across this period – an increase of 130 on the year before –solving 96 cases involving rape, an increase of 30 year-on-year.

Throughout the first six months of 2023, we have seen significant custodial sentences imposed on sexual predators, taking criminals bent on causing devastating harm to vulnerable victims off our streets.

Just last week, Christopher White, 37, of Mill Lane, Birch, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment following a lengthy and complex investigation into his sexual offending against children.

We launched extensive enquiries after it was reported White had been sexually exploiting young girls whilst working in a shop in Layer De Haye between 2007 and 2009.

After his arrest in 2019, he was charged with two counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of sexual assault of a child under 13, one count of sexual assault of a child over 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child under 13 and one count of sexual activity with a child over 13.

He was convicted off all offences following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Days earlier, on Wednesday 14 June, Anthony Kamau, 51, formerly of Winstanley Road, Saffron Walden, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, after being convicted of multiple sexual offences against three children.

Kamau was arrested in February 2019 by Essex Police’s Quest Team, who specialise in investigating non-recent sexual offences against children.

Enquiries revealed Kamau had spent 10 years sexually abusing three girls between 2006 and 2017.

Prior to his first court hearing, despite having his passport seized, Kamau fled the country.

Caroline Horden, from Essex Police’s Crime and Public Protection Command (C&PP) worked closely with multiple agencies to track Kamau down in Nairobi and extradited him back to the UK.

Earlier this month, on Friday 9 June, Blaine Norton, 37, of Falcon Avenue, Grays, was convicted of rape, ABH, and false imprisonment at Basildon Crown Court.

Over a period of a number of years he subjected he subjected his victim to violence, culminating in him raping her in January 2017.

The case was investigated by specially trained sexual abuse detectives. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on 14 August.

'We will offer a lifeline to all victims across Essex'

Detective Superintendent Neil Pudney, Head of Investigations, Crime & Public Protection Command, said:
“I am in no way surprised by this ranking.
“It is testament to the tenacity and skill of our investigative teams – good work which often goes unseen, but which I see taking place every single day.
“This work goes beyond bringing high-harm offenders to justice, and encompasses vital engagement and support offered to victims.”

Essex Police has increased referrals into victim support services, setting up inclusive forums such as the Victims Feedback Panel to capture their voices and continually improve our services.

One such panel, held in May, included videoed testimonies from victims of rape and case studies of victims.

The event was themed around violence against women and girls and was the third of its kind held in Essex.

Det Supt Pudney added:
“We are an inclusive, victim focused-organisation intent on continuously improving our services by listening to victims and using their feedback to shape future service delivery.
“The results we are seeing are nothing short of outstanding and I am proud of all the work of my staff and our partners who are delivering justice for the most vulnerable victims.
“We know there is always still work to do and finding new and additional ways of supporting victims remains at the heart of everything we do at Essex Police.
“We are proud of our conviction rate, but we know not every victim seeks a court outcome.
“We would urge anyone who has been the victim of rape or sexual abuse to seek support.
“We have a team of specialist officers dedicated to investigating cases of online child abuse and supporting victims.
“Last year the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT), safeguarded 331 children, carried out 283 warrants, and made 137 arrests.
“We also have a specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT), with dedicated officers who specifically investigate child sexual offences and support the victims.
“Not only are we solving more rapes and sexual offences, and convicting more offenders, we are also working to drive down the number of offences committed through proactive action.
“We saw 288 less cases involving rape recorded over the past 12 months and 280 less sexual offences too."

Anyone who would like support but does not wish to speak to police can find a list of organisations on our website at https://www.essex.police.uk/advice.

You can report offences to us by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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