IPSWICH MAN JAILED FOR OVER SIX YEARS FOR CHILD SEXUAL OFFENCES

An Ipswich man named Jason Thurkettle has been sentenced to a total of six years and seven months in prison after being convicted of multiple sexual offences against two schoolgirls. The court heard that Thurkettle, aged 53, was found guilty in February of eight counts including indecent exposure, two sexual assaults of a child under 13, and five non-penetrative sexual activities. The offences were uncovered after two women, who had sex with Thurkettle, disclosed that he wanted them to pretend they were schoolgirls aged between 12 and 15 during their encounters. During his trial in February, Thurkettle denied all charges but was convicted on the above offences. In April, he pleaded guilty to punching a woman in 2021, leading to an added one month sentence. Victims provided statements describing the emotional and physical impact of his abuse; one said her flashbacks are so severe she can only bathe instead of shower, stating, 'I don’t think I will ever be able to get over this fully. I have not been the same since.' The second victim expressed struggles with sleep, socializing, and forming relationships, noting, 'I had a feeling that if one man could do this to me then every man could, and that was what I deserved.' During sentencing, Recorder Jeremy Benson sentenced Thurkettle to five years for abusing the younger victim, who was 12 at the time, plus an 18-month sentence for offences against the second girl, and an additional month for battery. The total sentence handed down was six years and seven months.