ANTHONY BURN SENTENCED FOR LIFE IN NEWCASTLE AFTER DECADES OF ABUSE IN NORTHUMBERLAND AND CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Evil Anthony Burn inflicted a sustained campaign of sexual abuse on seven young girls across his adult life, beginning in his teens and continuing for nearly four decades until his arrest. The 57-year-old's horrific offending began in the early 1980s and went undetected for years, as he managed to abuse children "under the radar," subjecting his victims to multiple and frequent rape attacks.

One girl from Northumberland was raped about once a week over the course of a year at her home, enduring approximately 50 traumatic incidents. The abuse started when she was still playing with dolls. As Burn grew older, his offending persisted, consistently targeting victims aged between around nine and 16.

After police questioned Burn about his assaults on five girls in Northumberland, he continued his criminal activities, later attacking two more girls in Cambridgeshire. Thanks to the bravery of his victims who came forward, Burn’s time of terror was finally ended.

At Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Christopher Prince sentenced Burn to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years. The judge described him as "extremely dangerous" and warned that he would remain a risk until his death. Saying to Burn, the judge stated: "The gravity and amount of offending is abhorrent to any right thinking person. The risk in your case will continue until the day you die. These are extremely serious offences committed by an extremely dangerous defendant. They are among the worst offences of this type to come before the court."

The court heard that Burn's crimes began in the early 1980s, when he was in his late teens. Prosecutor David Lamb explained that Burn spent his entire adult life abusing young girls without being caught. "There are a total of seven young female victims in this case," Lamb said. "The campaign of offending spanned nearly all the defendant's adult life," starting in 1982 at age 17 and ending in 2020 when he was 57.

A notable aspect of Burn’s offending was his ability to integrate himself into the lives of many children for extended periods, often abusing them "virtually under the radar." The court detailed how Burn befriended a family girl living on the same Northumberland estate, eventually gaining access to her home to repeatably rape her. Lamb explained that the girl was raped so often she eventually stopped fighting him, describing her as a very young-looking girl who Burn would have known was underage.

The first assault took place in her bedroom, with her describing it as painful and crying throughout, as she was not consenting. The rapes continued weekly for about a year until she moved house. These incidents were never openly discussed between them, with Burn simply coming round to fulfill his sick desires.

Another victim, also a schoolgirl in Northumberland, was repeatedly raped at her home during the early 1980s. She saw Burn as an adult figure and regarded herself as a child, recalling that he raped her multiple times, though she could not remember exact numbers. She reported feeling submissive, believing that cooperating might shorten what she thought would be quicker abuse, and worried about the possibility of pregnancy—though she was fortunate it did not happen.

Burn managed to carry out these horrific crimes for more than 30 years. It was only in November 2018 that the first victim reported her abuse to Northumbria Police. Investigations then led to contact with a second victim, who provided the name of a third girl she believed had been assaulted by Burn. The third victim confirmed she had been raped when she was 16—four years younger than Burn.

As Burn aged, he continued to target victims, including a girl in her 30s whom he first raped after she entered his vehicle, mistakenly believing she would be given a lift from the MetroCentre. Instead, he took her to a flat where he assaulted her. Despite the progression of his age, the age of his victims remained consistent.

This victim reported the attack to police at the time, but Burn was never charged. Another victim, a fifth girl from the North East, was subjected to long-term abuse over approximately 16 years. She was unable to specify individual incidents due to the frequency of assaults but remembered her fear and pain clearly, recalling tears on her face and her fear that she might become pregnant, though she was lucky it did not happen.

Burn's extensive history of abuse has now been brought to an end by the courageous women he attacked, who finally saw justice served.