ANDREW STONEHOUSE SENTENCED IN TEESSIDE FOR HISTORIC CHILD ABUSE

In September 2017, Andrew Stonehouse, a 56-year-old former lifeboatman from Elwick Close, Redcar, was sentenced after being brought to justice for the sexual abuse of a schoolgirl over 15 years earlier. Stonehouse had admitted to six counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child related to incidents from the 1990s, involving the underage girl. However, he contested her account of events, claiming that he had been assaulted at an older age and on fewer occasions than she alleged. He also stated that he had no sexual interest in children and denied paying her once for a sexual act. His denial compelled the victim to give evidence and undergo cross-examination in Teesside Crown Court. Judge Deborah Sherwin acknowledged the victim, now an adult, as an honest witness doing her best with the "impossible task" of recalling her childhood. She did not accept Stonehouse’s version of events, noting that he changed his account and attempted to shift blame onto the victim. The judge described his claim that the victim initiated sexual contact and had propositioned him as “particularly unconvincing” and “unlikely,” ultimately ruling that Stonehouse had instigated the sexual behaviour and had previously paid her £5. The victim issued a heartfelt statement about the impact of the prolonged abuse, describing feelings of confusion, dirtiness, anger, suicidal thoughts, and difficulty trusting others. She explained, “I sometimes have nightmares – not so much what he’s done, just that he doesn’t care that he’s done it and he’s laughing at me.” She also expressed guilt over not reporting the abuse sooner and worries about passing her insecurities to her children. Judge Sherwin highlighted the tragic reality that many victims blame themselves and feel guilty, despite being children at the time. Ian Mullarkey, defending Stonehouse, noted that the allegations had been indirectly made in 1999, at which point Stonehouse admitted wrongdoing. He explained that Stonehouse was never arrested or prosecuted at that time, and the delays in police contact prevented the girl from making a formal complaint. In the meantime, Stonehouse was offered voluntary psychological counselling, which he attended. The victim only came forward last year due to ongoing struggles with the aftermath of the abuse. References described Stonehouse’s “exemplary” work record and good character prior to the offences. Mr. Mullarkey emphasized that Stonehouse had no prior or subsequent offenses: “This will be his first custodial sentence. It will be difficult for him.” Judge Sherwin criticized Stonehouse’s attempt to blame the girl, stating, “A particularly unpleasant aspect, I feel, is that you’ve sought to blame her for the commencement of this behaviour.” Ultimately, the court reduced his sentence because of his efforts to seek treatment in 1999, his earlier guilty plea, and his otherwise “blameless life.” Stonehouse was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. Additionally, he received a sexual harm prevention order prohibiting contact with the victim, unsupervised contact, or working with under-16s, and will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.