MARTIN STURGESS OF ST NEOTS JAILED FOR INDECENT ASSAULTS ON GIRL IN HULL

In July 2014, Martin Sturgess, a 49-year-old from St Neots, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of indecently assaulting a seven-year-old girl. Sturgess had previously served a four-year sentence for sex offences against another young girl.

Hull Crown Court heard how the victim endured her suffering in silence for 23 years before summoning the courage to report the abuse last year, following a nervous breakdown. The woman and her partner attended the hearing and watched as Sturgess was taken into custody.

Sturgess, residing at Russell Court, was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault after a four-day trial. Recorder Timothy Roberts addressed him directly, stating, "This woman’s life has been blighted as a result of what you did to her. For that you will be receiving a prison sentence. She was only seven years old at the time."

The court learned that Sturgess had a history of wandering the UK during his 20s, leaving St Neots in 1989 to move to Goole, East Yorkshire, where he indecently assaulted the young girl. He was arrested in October of the previous year after the woman reported the incident to police.

In her victim impact statement, the woman described how the abuse had robbed her of a joyful childhood and led to a severe nervous breakdown. "The effects have been much deeper than a sexual assault – I have been damaged as a person and I will never get those years back," she said.

Sturgess, who once studied psychology for a degree, returned to St Neots and in 1997 was jailed for four years following convictions for attempted rape and three other sex offences involving an 11-year-old girl.

During mitigation, Mark McKone explained that since his 1997 conviction, Sturgess had been heavily monitored by authorities, stating, "He has had difficulties in life ever since he was found guilty of sexual offences. He has not only been controlled by the authorities, he has become a recluse."

Following the court proceedings, the victim expressed her feelings, saying, "All I ever wanted was for it to be acknowledged that it had happened to me. I had not seen him for 23 years. I saw him at the court staring at me. It was weird rather than frightening. He looked like he was struggling with what he had done."