FRANCIS GARRETT, AN 80-YEAR-OLD FROM DYMCHURCH, JAILED IN CANTERBURY FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

In October 2017, an 80-year-old man from Dymchurch, Francis Garrett, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a minor. Garrett, who had no previous criminal record, appeared before Canterbury Crown Court to face charges he denied; he was ultimately found guilty by a jury.

The victim initially remained silent out of fear that she wouldn’t be believed, but Garrett claimed she had been fabricating lies. During the sentencing, Judge Rupert Lowe advised him, saying, “One good thing you can do now is to admit who has been telling the truth,” as Garrett was led away to prison.

It was revealed that Garrett had turned to pornography after his relationship with his wife ended, which influenced his behavior. The court heard that he sexually abused a child and instructed her to keep quiet about the incidents, which she did for many years out of fear.

The judge described Garrett’s actions as “wicked,” noting that the victim, much like children do, chose silence. “But this was serious sexual abuse of a child, which was fuelled by your interest in pornography,” he said.

As sentence was passed, Garrett appeared to stumble and had to be assisted by security staff. He was also ordered to be on the sex offenders’ register for life.