PORTSMOUTH MAN ANTHONY PLUMMER RECEIVES 28-YEAR SENTENCE FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A 71-year-old man from Portsmouth, Anthony Plummer of Clydebank Road, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for numerous historical child sex offences spanning several decades.Plummer appeared before Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, 14 January, following a trial held in November.
On that day, a jury found him guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, two counts of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, three counts of assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of indecent assault.
During the trial, the court was told that Plummer had abused four girls aged between 9 and 16 over the years, with offences dating back to 1978 and the most recent in 2009.
The case gained renewed attention in 2019 when one victim came forward, leading to others doing the same.
This prompted a thorough police investigation, resulting in Plummer’s arrest and subsequent charges.
Plummer denied all the allegations, pleading not guilty, but the jury found him guilty.
He has now been sentenced to 28 years in prison, with an additional two-year license extension to follow.
Judge David Melville QC stated during sentencing that the impact statements read out by the victims were deeply moving.
He emphasized that Plummer was a dangerous individual and a predator.
DC Graham Skull, who led the investigation, praised the victims’ bravery, saying, “The victims in this case have been remarkably brave in coming forward to report these crimes and giving evidence in court about such a traumatic period of their young lives.
They have had to live with the memory and effects of Plummer’s abuse for decades, and the impact of that on their lives is almost inconceivable for those of us who have never experienced such abuse.
I would like to commend them on their remarkable bravery and courage today, without which we would not have secured this result.
We are pleased that the victims have now finally found justice after suffering the effects of this terrible abuse for decades.” He added, “I hope that this sentence today demonstrates that we treat all reports of this nature with the utmost seriousness and thoroughly investigate them, regardless of when they occurred.
I would also like to encourage anyone affected by similar abuse to come forward and talk to us, knowing that they do not have to suffer in silence.”
