Brighton Paedophile Jailed For Historic Sexual Assaults

Thursday, 27 April 2023 15:36

A Brighton man who sexually assaulted two young girls who were staying in his home has been jailed for 12 years.

Spencer Gorringe, 50, of Bear Road in Brighton, sexually assaulted two girls in his home on a number of occasions in 2006 and 2007. They were aged between ten and 13 at the time.

They reported the abuse in 2019 after reading newspaper articles about Gorringe being convicted of making and possessing indecent images of children in 2015.

An investigation was launched while Gorringe’s victims received support from specialist officers.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with five counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration and one count of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.

Gorringe was found guilty of all eight offences, relating to both victims, and at Brighton Crown Court on Tuesday (25 April), he was jailed for 12 years.

Detective Constable Vicki Blythe said:

“The bravery shown by Gorringe’s victims in reporting his vile offending, and supporting the prosecution through to conviction, cannot be overstated.

“In 2006 Gorringe abused his position of responsibility to take advantage of two young girls, who have grown into two courageous women that helped bring a dangerous predator to justice. I would like to personally thank them for their support throughout this investigation.

“I hope this sentence provides them some measure of closure and sends a clear message that it is never too late to report crime. We will investigate and we will do all that we can to bring perpetrators to justice.”

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