Jail For Men Who Groomed Southend Girls

14 November 2014, 15:18 | Updated: 14 November 2014, 15:21

Two men have been jailed for a total of 20 years for sexually exploiting girls in Southend.

Colin Trotman, 45, of Wetherell Road, Hackney, was jailed for ten years for rape, and four years for each offence of sexual activity with a child and the two counts of facilitating permission of child sex offences.

He was also jailed for six months for production of cannabis, also to run concurrently. A confiscation order was made for his car.

Glenn Dyett, 56 of Elderfield Road in Hackney, was jailed for six years for each of three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Simon Werrett, said:

"There can be no excuse for the actions of Colin Trotman and Glenn Dyett. They are clearly manipulative, dangerous men who have now been sentenced and will have many years to reflect upon the utter distress they have caused to many people."

Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said:

"This case highlights the extreme importance of tackling hidden harms within our society – such as Child Sexual Exploitation as demonstrated in this case – which can exist anywhere, including in our own communities.

The rightly, lengthy sentences for both defendants is reflective of not just the gravity of the crime but the seriousness with which the criminal justice system treats the sexual exploitation of young children.

I must applaud the bravery of the three teenage victims who had the great courage to come forward to police and see the perpetrators face justice. It is impossible to even consider what they must have gone through.

I must also pay credit to the team of detectives, in particular Det Sgt Shirley Cole, who spent 18-months investigating this case and earning the trust of these young women. His Honour Judge Lodge rightly commended the hard work of Det Sgt Cole and it is thanks to the tenacity of her and her team that these two extremely predatory and dangerous individuals have been brought to justice."