DEREK OSBOURNE SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS IN PRISON IN IPSWICH FOR ABUSE OF YOUNG GIRLS

In May 2014, a 72-year-old man named Derek Osbourne was sentenced to 21 years in prison for sexually abusing three young girls over a span of more than twenty years.

The youngest victim, just four years old at the time of her assault, was made to climb into bed with Osbourne, kiss, cuddle, and watch pornographic films, as detailed in court proceedings.

Osbourne, a former worker at Sizewell B near Lowestoft, forced an eight-year-old girl to dress in her mother’s lingerie before carrying out his vile acts. The offences included an attack two days after her twelfth birthday, when he took her out for a celebration meal and then assaulted her alone at his home, performing a sex act.

Ipswich Crown Court heard he would serve at least 14 years of his sentence and could potentially die in prison. Judge John Holt described Osborne’s victims as having suffered "devastating" psychological effects. A probation officer who interviewed Osborne recently, after he was convicted, assessed him as "dangerous" and noted he had shown "very little" genuine remorse.

The judge emphasized that Osborne would need to serve a minimum of 14 years before being eligible for parole and would only be released when deemed no longer a danger. Upon release, he will face an extended licence period of five years.

Osbourne pleaded guilty to 16 charges spanning offenses from 1982 to 2004, including eight counts of indecent assault, seven of indecency with a child—pertaining to the three schoolgirls—and one count of raping a woman.

During the trial, it was revealed that Osborne had offered one victim money to perform sexual acts and had lost his temper when another refused to comply. His crimes also included making a young girl watch pornography and dressing her in women’s underwear as a child.

The offences were disclosed after one victim confided in her partner, who encouraged her to contact police. When arrested in February of the previous year, Osborne denied all allegations, claiming one of the girls had made advances towards him.

Neil Usher, defending Osborne, stated, “There is every likelihood that he will die in prison,” and claimed he was unlikely to reoffend, mentioning that Osborne had been living in a bedsit in Blackpool and had “no sexual urges whatsoever.”

Following the sentencing, one of Osborne’s victims, a woman now in her thirties who cannot be named for legal reasons, described his punishment as “amazing,” revealing she was four when assaulted. She only realized what happened was abnormal after seeing a TV programme on sex abuse at age 10.

She expressed her lack of surprise at Osborne’s apparent lack of remorse, saying, “If he couldn’t show any compassion or remorse to a young child, why would he show remorse now?”