CHARLES PHILLIPS, FOSTER CARER FROM NORWICH, JAILED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST YOUNG GIRLS IN NORWICH

In March 2007, Charles Phillips, a 61-year-old taxi driver and approved foster carer for Norfolk Social Services, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for multiple sexual offences. Norwich Crown Court heard that Phillips carried out his offenses more than 20 years earlier; however, his victims only came forward recently after discovering he had been approved as a foster carer.

Phillips, of Maid Marion Road, Norwich, was convicted of two rapes and five indecent assaults on one girl, and three indecent assaults on another girl. He denied all charges during the trial.

Following the sentencing, the head of children’s services for Norfolk County Council reassured the public by stating that all children in Phillips’s care were immediately removed once allegations emerged. The council also commended the victims for their bravery in speaking out and emphasized that the sentence demonstrated a strict stance against such offences.

Judge Peter Jacobs told Phillips that he was convicted by a jury after a trial and noted that in one case, Phillips had raped a young girl when she was about 11 years old. He also ordered Phillips to register as a sex offender for life and issued a sexual offences prevention order prohibiting him from being left unsupervised with females under 16.

During the court hearing, one of the victims, now in her 30s, recounted feeling "dirty and ashamed" after being raped by Phillips. She explained to the jury, “I never intended to do anything. It was only because I was told he was a foster carer that I felt I had to do something.” The prosecutor outlined how Phillips began by tickling her and then sexually assaulting her, culminating in a rape between 1983 and 1985, when she was roughly 11 or 12. The second victim was between 12 and 14 years old at the time of the offences.

Michael Clare, representing Phillips, highlighted that he was previously of good character and enjoyed considerable support from family and friends.

Lisa Christensen, director of children’s services at Norfolk County Council, stated, “These were very serious offences, and we believe that the severity of the sentence reflects the gravity of what occurred. We are grateful for the courage of the victims in bringing this case to court and want to send a clear message — it is never too late to seek justice.”

She clarified that the charges pertained to events that occurred many years before Phillips became a foster carer in 2004. At the time the allegations emerged, no children were placed with Phillips and his partner, and all foster placements were promptly terminated once the accusations surfaced. Furthermore, she confirmed that during the period between March 2004 and July 2006, the fostered children—most of whom were under three years old—had no concerns raised about their care.