RAYMOND COULSON OF SWAVESY SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS FOR CHILD RAPE IN CAMBRIDGE

In a case that has shocked the local community of Swavesey and the wider Cambridge area, Raymond John Coulson, aged 71, has been sentenced to a total of eight years in prison for a series of heinous sexual offenses committed against a young girl. The sentencing took place at Cambridge Crown Court following an extensive 11-day trial held in December, during which the court heard harrowing details of Coulson’s prolonged abuse.

According to court records, Coulson was convicted on multiple counts, including five charges of rape, two counts of indecent assault, and two counts of engaging in indecent sexual activity with a child. The evidence presented revealed a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior that spanned several years, beginning when the victim was just seven years old. It was during this early age that Coulson, residing at Whitton Close in Swavesey, first coerced the girl into touching him intimately. As the years progressed, the abuse intensified, culminating in repeated acts of rape between the ages of 11 and 15.

The court heard that the abuse reached its tragic peak in the mid-1980s when the girl, now an adult, gave birth to Coulson’s child. The child was subsequently placed for adoption, a heartbreaking consequence of Coulson’s actions. Throughout the trial, Coulson maintained his innocence, claiming that his relationship with the girl was consensual and that he had not engaged in full sexual intercourse until she was 16 years old. He also challenged the DNA evidence that confirmed he was the biological father of her child.

The case only came to light when the victim, who is now in her twenties, confided in a counselor in 1997 about her past abuse. She instructed her husband to send a warning letter to Coulson, warning him that he would face consequences for his crimes. Despite this, law enforcement authorities were not contacted until 2007, a full decade later, raising questions about the delay in reporting the offenses.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Anthony Bate described Coulson’s actions as a “prolonged campaign of sexual abuse and serial rape,” emphasizing the devastating impact on the victim’s childhood. The judge stated, “You secured her silence by threats and blighted her childhood. She endured these violations in secret misery.”

In mitigation, Coulson’s legal representative, Roger Harrison, requested leniency, arguing that Coulson had already suffered significant psychological distress, knowing that the victim could report him at any time. Harrison claimed that Coulson had been living “a nightmare” since receiving the warning letter and suggested that the delay in reporting was deliberately caused by the victim to prolong his suffering. The defense also highlighted Coulson’s failing health, noting that he has been receiving treatment for angina, ulcers, and strokes, and warned that there was a high risk he could die in prison.

Despite these arguments, Judge Bate sentenced Coulson to eight years for the offenses, describing these as “representative examples” of the nine years of abuse endured by the girl. The sentence comprises eight years for the rape charges, four years for the indecent assaults, and two years for gross indecency, all to be served concurrently. Coulson will serve half of his sentence in prison and the remaining half under supervision in the community, with the requirement to register as a sex offender for life.