MICHAEL HAZELWOOD FROM BROME AND HADLEIGH JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN SUFFOLK

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the local communities of Brome and Hadleigh, Suffolk, Michael Hazelwood, aged 68, has been sentenced to prison for a series of heinous child sex offences committed against a young girl over three decades ago. The disturbing crimes took place when Hazelwood was living in the vicinity of Hadleigh, Suffolk, between March 1977 and March 1981, a period during which he repeatedly abused the girl, beginning when she was just seven years old and continuing until she reached the age of eleven.

Hazelwood, who resides at Bromelands, Brome, initially denied the allegations during police investigations. However, just four days before his scheduled trial at Ipswich Crown Court, he changed his plea to guilty. The court was informed that Hazelwood, a former soldier and merchant navy sailor, had left his young victim in a state of fear and silence, unable to disclose the abuse at the time due to threats and intimidation.

The case came to light only after the girl’s new partner contacted authorities last year, prompting a police investigation that uncovered the disturbing details. Prosecutor Lindsay Cox detailed that Hazelwood had committed multiple offences while living near Hadleigh, including indecently exposing himself to the girl, touching her sexually, and forcing her to touch him. These acts constituted a pattern of repeated abuse over several years.

Mr. Cox described Hazelwood as a “frequently angry man with a violent temper,” who had warned the young girl that he would kill her mother if she ever revealed what had happened. The severity of Hazelwood’s threats and the nature of his actions left the girl traumatized and unable to speak out at the time of the offences.

Following a nine-month police investigation, Hazelwood was formally charged in June. He faced one count of indecent assault and five counts of indecent activity with a child. The charges were described as specimen offences, reflecting the repeated nature of the abuse.

During the court proceedings, Hazelwood’s defence solicitor, Duncan O’Donnell, argued that Hazelwood was under 40 at the time of the offences and has since become a very different man. O’Donnell also mentioned that Hazelwood had made a partial admission of guilt during an interview in 1982, related to another matter, and expressed remorse for his past behaviour, stating that Hazelwood acknowledged the girl’s honesty and regretted his actions.

In delivering his sentence, Judge Christopher Morgan condemned Hazelwood’s conduct as “disgusting and disgraceful,” emphasizing the profound and lasting impact the abuse had on the victim. Hazelwood was sentenced to five years in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and is now prohibited from working with children or being alone with them at his home or elsewhere. The court’s verdict underscores the seriousness with which the justice system treats such offences and the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals from predatory behaviour.