Basildon: Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for non-recent sex offences

A man has been jailed for 15 years, following an investigation by our detectives.

Richard Oliver, 51 of Frobisher Way, Jaywick appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday, 23 November where he was sentenced after being found guilty in October this year of nine offences including rape.

The investigation was launched in September 2020, when two women reported to Essex Police that they had been sexually abused between 2005 and 2015.

Oliver was arrested shortly after the report and denied all allegations against him.

Despite this, he was charged with nine offences including one count of rape of a girl and four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15.

Throughout the investigation, the two women received support from our specialist partner agencies.

He was found guilty of all counts on Friday, 20 October.

Detective Constable Leanne Howes, from our Child Sexual Exploitation proactive investigation team said:

“Oliver refused to admit to what he had done, putting these two victims through a three-year investigation and two-week court trial.

“Despite this being extremely difficult for them, these victims have demonstrated strength throughout the entire proceedings and I would like to thank them for this.

“It doesn’t matter when an offence takes place, if you are a victim, we can get you justice.”

Support is there for anyone affected by rape and sexual abuse, and no victim or survivor is alone. Synergy Essex provides specialist support for victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse of all ages and all genders across Essex, Thurrock and Southend.

Synergy Essex is a partnership of rape and sexual abuse centres in Essex: CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse), SERICC Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service and Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis (SOS Rape Crisis). Synergy Essex is independent from the police and provides support for victims and survivors throughout their journey.  

Victims and survivors can self-refer, or be referred by a parent, partner, friend or professional and can access specialist emotional support, counselling and advocacy.  For victims and survivors who report to the police, Synergy Essex provides an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) service, providing support throughout the criminal justice process.  

For more information visit the Synergy Essex website: https://synergyessex.org.uk/ 

The CSE Proactive Investigation Team was formed July 2022 and deals with both reactive and proactive investigations that have been referred by partners or from other teams within Essex Police.

They take on both new and older referrals where conventional safeguarding tactics have been previously unsuccessful.

They deal with the most complex and difficult criminal investigations involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Offenders can be individuals or organised groups, they could be using fake profiles to groom young people online, or befriending them and giving them money or alcohol.

We use a variety of tactics to mitigate the threat they present.

This includes reactive investigations responding to referrals from victims, families, and partners as well as those identified through proactive intelligence gathering.

The team also work with our partners to ensure there are bespoke care plans for victims which mean they don’t have to speak to us if they don’t want to, but mean they are given proper support, assistance and guidance by trained professionals from the many children’s charities we work alongside in Essex.

If you have any information or concerns about a child being groomed or exploited, please call us on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.