January 2017 70 year-old man is jailed for historical child abuse A pensioner jailed for sex abuse dating back 40 years left his victims “psychologically scarred” and “suffering lifelong anxiety and depression”, a court has heard. Colin Waterfield, 70, has been jailed for 21 years for offences in Norwich against one woman and eight children. Norwich Crown Court heard the abuse took place between 1973 and 1995. The youngest victim was four years old. Waterfield was also put on the sex offenders register for life. Waterfield, of Stonehouse Road, Norwich, had been investigated before in the 1990s but no charges were brought and it was not until 2013 that the case was reopened. Police launched an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against Waterfield in 1994 and a file was prepared and reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service who advised no further action would be taken. A spokesman for the CPS East of England said: “It was decided at the time and after a thorough review of all available evidence that there was not a realistic prospect of conviction.” Further complaints were received in 2005 and police made the decision not to proceed with new inquiries because no new evidence was offered. The investigation began in 2013 after one of Waterfield’s victims contacted police. Detectives uncovered a catalogue of abuse dating back decades. Many involved vulnerable children, police said. The offences took place at three key addresses in the Norwich area. During the trial, the court heard evidence from a police video recording of a female witness who said Waterfield had regularly invited children to his house from a children’s home. He was convicted in December of 25 counts, including serious sexual abuse of children, assault and possession of pornographic images. Det Insp Paul Brown, who oversaw the investigation, described it as “abuse of the most horrendous kind causing not only physical harm but leaving them psychologically scarred”. The court heard impact statements from victims explaining how Waterfield “destroyed their lives”, leaving many “suffering life-long anxiety and depression”. One victim wrote: “He not only took my childhood away but it’s all still there in my head. “I still panic in small spaces or when I’m with strangers. I don’t like leaving the house on my own and there have been times when I haven’t left the house for days or weeks.” Police said Waterfield, of Stonehouse Road, Norwich, had shown no remorse to his victims.