Man Jailed for Raping Young Girl Over Five Years

Keith Alan Fairbrother, 59, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping a young girl over a five-year period in the early 2000s. The assaults took place when the girl was in her early teens.

Fairbrother, of Glovers Lane, Bexhill, used his friendship with the victim's family to exploit her. He was convicted of four offences of rape and three offences of sexual assault by penetration at Chichester Crown Court after a two-week trial.

Detective Constable Ella Bigsby of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "He had come to know the victim's family and gained her confidence over a period of time, enabling him to exploit her for his own sexual gratification."

"His victim showed great courage in contacting us, supporting the investigation and giving evidence in court, resulting in his conviction and the removal from the streets of an opportunist but predatory sex offender."

In a statement, the victim said: "In coming forward to the police, I finally did what adults around me should have done all those years ago, and became the person I needed when younger. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the case, with a special thank you to DC Ella Bigsby for being my strength, barrister Jennifer Gray for being my voice, and the jury."

Detective Constable Bigsby added: "This is another example of the way in which justice can be achieved for victims of sexual offences, no matter when the offending took place."