GARRETT WELLS FROM BURR AND NEEDINGWORTH SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF YOUNG GIRLS IN HERTFORDSHIRE AND CAMBRIDGESHIRE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local communities, Garry Wells, a former police officer from Burr and Needingworth, has been sentenced to prison for the sexual abuse of two young girls over a span of more than four years. The heinous acts took place between January 2010 and July 2014, with Wells targeting victims aged 12 to 16, exploiting the trust placed in him as a figure of authority.

Wells-Burr, who served as a constable in Stevenage and East Herts from 2003 until his suspension in 2015, was found guilty of multiple serious charges. His crimes included causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, as well as causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and sexual assault. He denied a count of sexual assault of a child under 13 and two additional counts of sexual assault, which were ordered to be left on file by the court.

The sentencing took place at Chelmsford Crown Court, where Judge David Turner QC delivered a stern verdict. He condemned Wells-Burr’s actions as a profound betrayal of the trust placed in him as a police officer, emphasizing the lasting damage inflicted upon his victims. The judge stated, “Your grave misconduct left your victims shattered and confused, and their victim impact statements were painful reading. The wickedness of what you have done will have a lasting and damaging impact on both of them. You were a trusted individual and you breached that trust with your covertly manipulative and shameful abuse of power. You targeted two relatively young children and the abuse was repeated and sustained. This was a betrayal of everything you had trained for and believed in.”

Following his guilty plea, Wells-Burr was sentenced to six years in prison. Additionally, he was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order that prohibits him from contacting either of his victims or having any unsupervised contact with children under 16. He will also be registered as a sex offender for life, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his conduct.

Garry Wells, who was residing in Needingworth, Cambridgeshire, and previously lived in Royston, was arrested in January 2015 while on duty. The arrest followed an investigation by the Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, which received allegations of sexual assault involving two young girls. After his arrest, Wells-Burr was immediately suspended from his duties and subsequently dismissed from the Hertfordshire police force in February 2016 for gross misconduct, unrelated to the current charges.

During his time with Hertfordshire police, Wells-Burr was stationed at various locations including Stevenage, Bishop’s Stortford, and Hertford. His roles included working as an intervention and response officer, as well as a case investigation officer. His actions have left a dark stain on his career and have prompted calls for increased vigilance and safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable children from abuse by those in positions of authority.