Man sentenced for rape and sexual abuse of girl in East Sussex

A man who groomed a teenage girl and raped her has been jailed for 19 years.

George Scott, 39, pressured the victim for non-recent sexual activity in East Sussex.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has described how the abuse has had a “devastating and lifelong impact”.

Scott, of Beacon Road, Crowborough, was found guilty of 11 offences after trial, and appeared before Lewes Crown Court on 31 July.

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and must serve an extra two years on licence when released as part of an extended sentence.

It means he must serve at least two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole, and could still be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence for an extra two years.

The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 25 years, which will restrict Scott’s unsupervised contact with children and access to computers or mobile phones without permission.

He was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely, and the court also imposed a restraining order not to contact the victim which will last until a further order is made.

The court was told how the non-recent offences related to Scott’s activities as a golf instructor. He groomed the victim, a girl under the age of 16, to commit sexual offences.

These included eight counts of sexual assault by penetration, one count of intentionally causing a girl under 16 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity, one count of causing a girl under 16 to watch a third person engaging in sexual activity, and one count of being an adult in a position of trust who sexually touched a girl under the age of 18 on multiple occasions.

In her victim impact statement, the victim, who has a right to legal anonymity for life, said: “I continue to fight everyday against the memories I wish I could forget.

“This has had a devastating and lifelong impact. I have lived with the consequences with flashbacks and intrusive memories. I often felt blamed and shamed for something that was never my fault.”

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Mors Lambert said: “I commend the courage of the victim for coming forward and reporting her experience to Sussex Police in this highly distressing case.

“It is clear that Scott groomed the victim and abused her in the most appalling way. She should have been able to trust him in his role, but he abused that trust by committing sexual offences over a two-year period.

“This was a complex investigation and we take reports of rape and serious sexual assaults extremely seriously. We were determined to get justice for the victim in this case.

“Scott is now serving a significant custodial sentence which reflects the severity of his offences as well as the profound impact it has had upon the victim.

“I would continue to encourage all victims of sexual offences to report their experiences to the police.”

Further help and support for victims of rape and serious sexual assaults is available on the Safe:Space Sussex website and on the Sussex Police website.

More information about how Sussex Police investigates cases of rape and sexual assault is available on the force website here.