HYTHE MAN ANTHONY CHICK JAILED FOR ABDUCTION NEAR DORSET HOLIDAY PARK

In July 2013, a man from Hythe named Anthony Chick was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of abducting a 15-year-old girl. The incident took place when Chick, aged 28 and residing on Beech Crescent in Hythe, exploited the vulnerability of the young girl and took her away for a week-long stay at a holiday park located in Dorset.

Chick had initially denied the charges of abduction, but after a thorough three-day trial at Southampton Crown Court, the jury found him guilty. The case drew significant attention due to the nature of the offense and the circumstances surrounding the girl’s disappearance.

The girl, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, had developed a friendship with Chick. Her mother, concerned about the relationship, had explicitly asked Chick to stay away from her daughter. Despite this, the girl left her mother’s home to spend time with a friend, planning to return later that evening. However, she failed to come back, prompting her family to report her missing.

Her whereabouts remained unknown until police investigators, aided by a police helicopter, spotted her and Chick emerging from a tent at a Dorset holiday park. This sighting led to their arrest. Chick was detained along with another man, who was later acquitted during the trial.

During the court proceedings, Chick’s defense lawyer, Alistair Wright, argued that his client was attempting to turn over a new leaf. Wright stated, “He is now doing substantially better than he was. He appears to be making progress in terms of a disassociation with his previous lifestyle and having set up home with a partner.”

However, the court was informed that the girl’s mother had expressed her concerns to social services about the developing relationship between Chick and her daughter. The mother’s worries played a role in the case’s seriousness.

Judge Peter Ralls QC delivered the sentence, emphasizing the gravity of Chick’s actions. He stated, “At the trial you were maintaining that you didn’t know the age and was insistent that you had not been told by the mother. It is aggravated by your refusal to take heed of the concerns of the mother.” The judge’s decision reflected the seriousness with which the court viewed the abduction and the breach of trust involved.