HEYBRIDGE MAN SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS FOR CHILD SEXUAL OFFENCES
A Heybridge man has been jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences against a child.Thomas Thorpe-Keen, 23, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on June 9 via video link.
Thorpe-Keen of Creasen Butt Close, Heybridge, attracted the attention of Essex Police's Child Abuse Investigation Team in 2020 due to concerns about his relationships with underage girls.
He was issued with a Sexual Risk Order and Criminal Behaviour Order, which included conditions such as prohibiting him from being in the unsupervised company of anyone under 18, yet he repeatedly breached these conditions.
In 2019, Thorpe-Keen engaged in a relationship with a 15-year-old girl, during which he stalked, coerced, and controlled her, including watching for times she was alone at home and raping her multiple times throughout their relationship.
He was arrested in July 2022 after raping the victim, leaving her address, then breaking back into her home through the living room window and threatening to kill her.
Investigations revealed he called her over 100 times and waited outside her address before his arrest in the North of England.
On 26 July last year, Thorpe-Keen was charged by the CPS and remanded in custody.
Following a three-week trial, he was convicted of coercive and controlling behavior, multiple counts of rape, and breaches of court orders.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
In her victim impact statement, the young victim expressed how "he was so controlling that I lost a lot of friendships" and shared her ongoing emotional struggles.
Police Constable Thomas Olson from Essex Police described him as a "manipulator," who attempted to deceive the victim into thinking he wasn’t doing anything wrong, and emphasized that Thorpe-Keen is a dangerous individual who has severely impacted the victim’s life.
Support services like Synergy Essex are available for victims and survivors of sexual abuse.
