FLOYDD ETTRIDGE SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN NORTHOLT AND VERWOOD

In a disturbing case that has shocked the communities of Northolt and Verwood, Floydd Ettridge, aged 34, has been sentenced to a total of 31 months in prison following his conviction for multiple serious offenses involving young girls. The court heard that Ettridge, who previously resided in Verwood before relocating to Northolt to stay with his parents, committed a series of heinous acts over a period of approximately nine months, targeting four girls aged between 10 and 11 years old.

According to court proceedings, Ettridge had established a troubling relationship with the families of the victims. He had befriended the father of two of the girls and would often offer to look after the children, ostensibly to help out. Prosecutor Rob Griffiths detailed an incident in October 2005, when Ettridge visited the girls' home claiming he understood they had nits. He insisted on washing their hair, despite the father’s initial reluctance, stating he wanted to help. The father accepted this, unaware of the true intentions behind Ettridge’s visit.

However, the situation took a darker turn when the girls confided in their father that Ettridge had been touching them inappropriately. Both girls provided police with detailed accounts of repeated sexual assaults, including an incident where Ettridge allegedly came upstairs to molest one girl after sharing a cup of coffee with her father downstairs. The victims also disclosed that Ettridge had touched two other girls, and subsequent police interviews confirmed these allegations.

Following the crimes, Ettridge moved away from Verwood to Northolt, Middlesex, where he continued to evade suspicion for some time. The impact on the victims has been profound; the children now refuse to speak to strangers and are particularly distressed by Ettridge’s name. They have even taken to calling him “The Thing,” reflecting their fear and trauma.

Police investigations extended beyond the assaults, leading to a search of Ettridge’s computers. Authorities uncovered more than 300 indecent images of children, some of the most serious types seen in courts across England and Wales. These images further underscored the extent of his criminal behavior.

During the trial, Ettridge’s defense lawyer, Edmund Gritt, argued that his client had pleaded guilty to avoid subjecting the young victims to a trial. Gritt also stated that Ettridge was remorseful and had taken steps to delete the illicit images after viewing them. Despite these mitigating factors, Judge Samuel Wiggs emphasized the severity of the crimes, noting that the assaults had taken place over nearly nine months and had inflicted lasting harm on the victims.

Judge Wiggs sentenced Ettridge to 23 months for the sexual assaults and an additional eight months for possessing indecent images of children. The judge described the offenses as dreadful and remarked that the trauma inflicted on the girls would likely stay with them for the rest of their lives, underscoring the gravity of the case and the importance of justice being served.