GARY COLLINS JAILED FOR 12 YEARS IN COLCHESTER FOR ABUSE

In July 2017, Gary Collins, a former musician from Colchester, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of abusing a girl under the age of 14 over a period of years. Despite himself requesting a 'merciful' sentence, the judge rejected this plea. Collins, who has an address listed in Harrow, London, was originally sentenced to a total of 21 years but will serve 12 years. He had claimed that the victim and her mother had fabricated the allegations to get him into trouble.

During the sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Martyn Levett stated, 'I do not believe it for one second' when dismissing Collins’s assertion that the girl had made up the abuse. The judge also said, 'There is no evidence' of a secret recording purportedly showing plot by the victim and her mother. While acknowledging Collins's traumatic brain injury, the judge noted it might explain some of his comments.

The court heard that Collins began touching the girl’s breasts in 2011 in Colchester. The touching stopped for about six months but resumed in spring 2012, increasing to once or twice a week. The judge remarked that the victim kept silent because Collins did not want anyone to discover what was happening.

Collins denied multiple charges: three counts of sexual touching, two counts of sexual assault, one count of rape, and one count of attempted rape. However, he was found guilty by a jury after a three-day trial. He received a sentence of 12 years for rape and attempted rape, three years for sexual touching, and six years for sexual assault, with all sentences to run concurrently.

His name will be automatically added to the sex offenders’ register, and he has been granted an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Judge Levett commented on the impact on the victim, stating, 'The effect on the victim has been significant and it has caused her to have episodes during the night.' The judge emphasized, 'I was asked to take a merciful course but there are no reasons anyone has drawn to my attention why that should be the case.'