PAUL EATON FROM GRANTHAM JAILED FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE IN LINCOLNSHIRE

In a case that has shocked the local community, Paul Eaton, a 60-year-old businessman from Grantham, Lincolnshire, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of multiple counts of child sexual abuse. The crimes, which spanned over three decades, involved a young girl who was just 12 years old at the time the abuse began.

Paul Eaton, who resided on Pond Street in Great Gonerby near Grantham, had consistently denied the allegations, claiming that he was the victim of a conspiracy aimed at tarnishing his reputation. Despite his protests, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court found him guilty of rape and three counts of indecent assault against the young girl. However, he was acquitted of two additional indecent assault charges involving another teenage girl. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two further indecent assault charges related to the same girl, leading to a discharge on those counts.

The court proceedings revealed disturbing details about Eaton’s actions. Prosecutor Michael Cranmer-Brown described Eaton’s conduct as “serious sexual abuse which went on for some time,” emphasizing the prolonged nature of the offenses. It was also disclosed that Eaton, who amassed his wealth through the sale of inherited farmland and land to developers, had threatened the victim, telling her that he would shoot her mother if she disclosed the abuse. The assaults reportedly began when the girl was only 12 years old and continued over a period of years.

The victim, now in her 40s, eventually confided in a counselor in her late 30s, which prompted her to report the abuse to the police. The court heard that the abuse took place in Grantham, a town where Eaton had previously operated a taxi business during the early 1970s. The judge ordered Eaton to pay £7,000 in prosecution costs and mandated that he register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the impact on the victims.