EASTBOURNE SEX OFFENDER SIMON HUTCHINSON SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT

Police reported that Simon Hutchinson, a 53-year-old sex offender living on Hailsham Road in Stone Cross, was arrested at Hove Crown Court on April 22 after a conviction on 14 criminal charges related to the sexual assault of a young child over multiple years. Hutchinson admitted to four counts of rape, seven acts of sexual assault, all carried out multiple times, and three counts of possessing pornographic images of children. Authorities stated that out of a 17-year sentence, twelve years will be served in prison, with the remaining five years on extended license monitoring and registration as a lifetime sex offender. The arrest coincided with the victim informing a friend about ongoing abuse, which led to police involvement. Following a pre-trial plea on March 3 at Lewes Crown Court, Hutchinson was sentenced by Judge Jeremy Gold, who described the case as “a horrific array of entrenched and systematic torture”. Detective Constable Tania Snashall from the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Division explained that Hutchinson groomed the victim from a young age, and praised the victim’s bravery in speaking out. The detective expressed hope that the sentence would enable the victim and her family to rebuild their lives and emphasized the severity of Hutchinson's offending.