NEIL MORRELL OF DARLEY ABBEY JAILED FOR DECADES-OLD CRIMES IN DERBY

After a long and painful journey spanning over 35 years, a woman from Derby finally saw justice served when Neil Morrell, a resident of Darley Abbey, was sentenced for heinous crimes committed during his teenage years. The victim, whose identity remains protected, recounted her harrowing experience of being assaulted from the age of seven, a trauma that haunted her for decades.

Her ordeal persisted silently for many years, with her suffering compounded by the fear and shame that often accompany such abuse. It was only in her 40s, after repeatedly encountering Morrell in the streets of Darley Abbey, that she found the strength to confront her fears and report the crimes to the police. She explained, “I started seeing him about and it just unearthed all the pain and emotion. Going to the police and talking about what had happened to me was like opening up an old wound. It was all still so raw.”

Her decision to come forward culminated in her sitting in Derby Crown Court, where Neil Morrell, aged 53, was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for multiple counts of sexual assault and rape. The court heard that these offenses occurred when Morrell was between 15 and 17 years old. The victim expressed that, only in recent years, she had begun to fully comprehend the severity of Morrell’s actions. “I think I had minimised in my mind what he had done but when I started to talk it through with a counsellor I realised the significance of what I had been through,” she said.

She also shared her struggles with the process, revealing, “Every day I used to think about going to the police but didn’t really know how to make that move. The counselling helped me rationalise why I needed to go to the police and helped me find the courage to do it.”

Morrell admitted to four counts of indecent assault and one count of rape, all committed during his teenage years. The court sentenced him to two years for each count, to run concurrently. Despite the sentence, the victim described her feelings as “very disappointing,” but she emphasized the importance of reporting abuse. “I would encourage other victims to report any abuse and don’t regret telling the police. It isn’t easy but I think it has made me a stronger person and I have learned a lot about myself. The verdict doesn’t make up for what he did to me but it will help me to move on.”

Prosecutor Avik Mukherjee highlighted the victim’s silence during the abuse, stating, “She didn’t tell anyone. He told her not to and also told her that no one would believe her.” The court also ordered Morrell to sign the sex offenders’ register, where his name will remain for the next ten years. Additionally, five other counts—four of indecent assault and one of rape—pertaining to incidents when the victim was between 10 and 12 years old, were ordered to lie on file.

In mitigation, Mark Harries acknowledged the profound impact on all families involved, noting, “Not withstanding the seriousness of these offences, they took place an extremely long time ago and all of the parties involved in this case are different people now from the people they were then. The victim was then a child but the defendant too was only a matter of a few years older. He too can be regarded as a child.”

Judge John Wait, presiding over the case, described the sentencing as “extremely difficult,” emphasizing the gravity of the offences. “These are very grave offences which took place over a substantial period, many months if not more, and at a time when your victim was aged somewhere between seven and nine. Had you been an adult committing these offences against a child, the appropriate sentence would have been very long,” he stated.

He further explained that while more than 35 years had passed since the crimes, the passage of time did not diminish their seriousness. However, he took into account Morrell’s age at the time of the offences—just a few years older than his victim—and the fact that Morrell himself had been a victim of abuse. The court’s decision reflects a complex balance of justice, remorse, and the recognition of the long-lasting impact of childhood abuse.