KEITH FAIRBROTHER JAILED FOR RAPE OF YOUNG GIRL IN EAST SUSSEX
Update from 2022: Keith Fairbrother, who was serving a 17-year sentence for sex offences, including rape, arrived at the Yorkshire prison with several long-term health conditions, including high blood pressure.He succumbed to a heart clot on June 4, 2022, aged 59, just 10 days after his transfer to Wakefield from HMP Lewes in East Sussex.
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A man identified as Keith Alan Fairbrother has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being found guilty of multiple heinous sexual offenses involving a young girl from East Sussex.
The crimes, which involved a series of devastating assaults over a period of five years, took place in the early 2000s when the victim was in her early teens.
Fairbrother, who was in his 40s at the time of the incidents, managed to build a relationship with the girl’s family over a period of time.
Exploiting this familiarity, he gained the trust of the young girl, which he then used as a means to carry out his malicious acts.
His manipulative approach and familiarity with the family created an environment where his actions went initially unnoticed, allowing him to abuse her in secret.
The defendant, now aged 59, faced justice at Chichester Crown Court where he was convicted of four separate counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault by penetration.
After a two-week trial, the court sentenced Fairbrother to a prison term of 18 years.
The severity of his crimes and the length of his sentence reflect the gravity with which the justice system regards the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable minors.
Detective Constable Ella Bigsby, who is part of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit, spoke about the case, emphasizing how Fairbrother’s familiarity with the victim’s family was exploited to groom and abuse her.
She stated, “He had come to know the victim's family and gained her confidence over a period of time, enabling him to exploit her for his own sexual gratification.” She also highlighted the bravery of the victim, noting that her willingness to contact law enforcement, support the investigation, and testify in court was instrumental in securing a conviction.
The detective praised her courage, saying, “His victim showed great courage in contacting us, supporting the investigation and giving evidence in court, resulting in his conviction and the removal from the streets of an opportunist but predatory sex offender.” In a statement read in court, the victim expressed her relief and resilience, saying, “In coming forward to the police, I finally did what adults around me should have done all those years ago, and became the person I needed when younger.
Thank you to everyone who was involved in the case, with a special thank you to DC Ella Bigsby for being my strength, barrister Jennifer Gray for being my voice, and the jury.” Detective Constable Bigsby reaffirmed the importance of justice for victims of sexual offences, regardless of how much time had passed since the crimes occurred.
Her words underscored the ongoing commitment of law enforcement to protect vulnerable individuals and hold offenders accountable, no matter when their misconduct took place in East Sussex.
