Westcliff: Victim praised for strength as sexual abuser jailed for 19 years

A detective has praised the strength of character of a survivor of sexual abuse, after a man was jailed for 19 years for multiple sexual offences against her.

Daniel Carroll, 45 of Westbourne Grove, Westcliff-on-sea appeared at Cambridge Crown Court today (30 August) where he was jailed for 19 years and a further 5 year son licence and placed on the SOR for life.

In 2020, Essex Police received a report from a girl who had been sexually abused by Carroll. The offences occurred over a two-year period.

When Carroll was arrested in August 2020, officers searched an address in Southend and London. Officers located mobile phones and Computers, which contained indecent images of children. These images included category A images which are classified as some of the most serious prohibited images of children.

Carroll was charged in February 2023 with two counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of rape of a child over 13, three counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act and three counts of multiple possession of indecent images of children.

Following a three-week trial which concluded on Tuesday, 11 June at Basildon Crown Court, Carroll was found guilty of the nine offences. It took the jury just 90 minutes to make a decision.

Following the conviction, the victim thanked investigating officer Detective Constable Christopher Sedgwick for helping her and her family throughout the process.

He was remanded into custody and appeared at Cambridge Crown Court today (30 August) where he was jailed for 19yrs, with a further 5 years to serve on licence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Christopher Sedgwick said:

“For a young girl to approach the police and report the horrendous ordeal she had been through is commendable and shows her enormous strength of character.

“The strength that this young woman has shown to report Carroll and work with us during the two-and a half year investigation is nothing short of admirable. She first came to Essex police whilst still a child and has lived everyday since reporting in fear her assailant would find her and confront her”

“Her bravery and maturity despite having gone through the most horrible of crimes is admirable in the extreme and shows an enormous strength of character”

“From the point of the investigation beginning, Carroll has done everything he can to deny the offence and disrupt the process and attempted to de-rail the hearing, causing additional stress that this victim did not deserve. I have to commend those on the jury during Carroll’s trial who agreed to stay for an extended period to hear this case.

“Additionally Carroll refused to accept the indecency of the images on his phone, as a result of this, the jury were made to review the horrendous images which was undoubtedly distressing for them.

“I hope that today’s sentence allows her to start to rebuild and move forward.

“I hope that this case highlights how seriously we take these offences at Essex Police and I’d encourage survivors of sexual abuse who haven’t found the strength to contact us to do so.”

Following the conviction, the victim said the following:

“I hoped every day that when this is all over, I can begin to concentrate on me.

“I want to work on getting better and looking after myself and just maybe I have a chance of not living in constant fear and anxiety now knowing that everyone knows what Carroll is.”

“I cannot thank DC Sedgwick enough for all the work he has done, and helping me and my family throughout the process to get this conviction”.

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.

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.

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