MARTY REDGATE FROM EASTBOURNE FREED AFTER SEXUAL ABUSE ADMISSION

In August 2010, a heartbreaking case unfolded involving Marty Redgate, 51, of South Avenue, Eastbourne, who admitted to sexually abusing his stepdaughter over a period of five years. Despite acknowledging his guilt through his plea of indecency with a child alongside two additional sex charges, Redgate was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, and was allowed to walk free from Lewes Crown Court last week.

The court heard that the girl was molested from the age of 11 until she turned 16, while her mother was working night shifts stacking supermarket shelves. The victim, now 21, explained, “I always knew what he did was wrong, but I thought no one would believe me. I was too scared to tell anyone in case they thought I was making it up.” Her mother discovered the abuse only after finding and reading her daughter's diary.

The mother expressed her anger and frustration, stating, “He hasn’t spent one day behind bars even though he’s admitted abusing my daughter. What sort of justice is that? He’s stolen my daughter’s innocence and her childhood, and he’s got away scot-free. It feels like the message being sent is that step-parents need not fear consequences for abusing their children. He is a paedophile and should be jailed. I wouldn’t mind if it was just for six weeks, but he needs to be punished. My daughter has been through hell because of him.” She added, “I was tempted to go round and shoot him, but then I realised dying is too good for him. I want him alive so that he has to live with what he’s done every single day.”

The victim detailed her ordeal, revealing that she kept a journal documenting the abuse. Her mother found the diary after Jessica had left home to start her independent life, which included a job, a boyfriend, and her own residence. “I was shocked, horrified, and didn’t know what to do,” the mother said. “When I picked up the diary, a few pages fell out, and the words jumped out at me. I felt guilty for bringing that man into our home and family without understanding what he was doing to my girl.”

She further commented on the injustice of the case, stating, “It’s wrong that my daughter was brave enough to report the abuse and that he received such a lenient sentence. It’s pathetic. Now she’s moving on with her life, but the pain of that chapter remains. No one should get away with that kind of abuse.”