Following jury conviction, a 58-year-old West Suffolk Paedophile Christopher Whittleton accused of rape of a schoolgirl will be jailed in September.
On Thursday, Christopher Whittleton of Highwood Road, Gazeley, west Suffolk, was before Ipswich Crown Court.
Christopher Whittleton had denied two alternative accusations of rape of a minor stretching back more than two decades and two crimes of sexual interaction with a child.
Christopher Whittleton also refutes two more rape allegations.
He was found guilty of the two alternative charges of rape and not guilty of the two offences of sexual activity with a child.
Christopher Whittleton was likewise convicted of the other two rape counts.
Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley put off the sentence until September 12.
UPDATE 30.08.24
A 58-year-old man from West Suffolk, Christopher Whittleton, guilty of raping a schoolgirl, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, with an additional year on licence.
Christopher Whittleton of Highwood Road, Gazeley, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday via prison video link.
Christopher Whittleton had previously been convicted of two charges of child rape involving a victim under the age of 13, one count of rape of the same victim between the ages of 13 and 17, and an additional case of rape of the same individual.
The offences occurred till the spring of 2012.
The court heard a statement from the victim, which said: “I often find myself wondering what my life would be life if I had not had this experience as a child.
“The psychological stress I have endured over the years and still continues to this day is nothing short of tortuous.”
She added that she began self-harming because she felt “completely numb” after the attacks.
The victim added: “This feeling I must punish myself is a direct result of what happened to me.
“As a child I tried to end my life twice as I thought this would stop the abuse.
“I wanted to protect my mum and didn’t want her to find out.”
The victim explained that she experiences debilitating flashbacks: “I see everything as if I was there again: I can smell him, I can feel him on my body, I can’t breathe, I freeze.
“I experience excruciating pain as if it was happening again.”
The court heard the defendant would tell the girl it was her fault and that he would make her suffer by hurting the people she loved in front of her.
The court heard the first rape happened in a ditch.
In mitigation, the court heard there is no evidence he committed any further sexual offences since the end of the offending period.
Christopher Whittleton showed no emotion as he was sentenced by Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley, who thanked the victim for her courage and dignity throughout the case.
Christopher Whittleton, who was arrested and questioned by police about the accusations in 2018, denied being a paedophile and maintained there was no reality in the allegations, which he called “disgusting” when testifying during his trial.
Christopher Whittleton claimed she had accepted lifts from him and had been alone in a car with him since the offences took place, and he did not see why the victim would lie about him.
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