Matthew Rattenbury, a ‘dangerous’ sexual paedophile predator who asserted that his assault constituted a ‘innocent massage,’ has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Matthew Rattenbury, 42, was incarcerated for the sexual abuse of a minor.
He refuted the allegation at his appearance at Basildon Crown Court; nonetheless, the jury did not accept his defence that it was a massage. He was found guilty following a three-day trial.
Matthew Rattenbury, residing on High Street in Northchurch, Hertfordshire, was recorded perpetrating the assault by an eyewitness. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison at Basildon Crown Court, with the stipulation that he serve half of his term in detention and the other half on license.
He was additionally registered as a lifelong sex offender and issued a perpetual Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Detective Constable Jane Grieve of Essex Police commended the witness for their vital testimony.
DC Grieve stated: “This eyewitness observed conduct that they instinctively identified as inappropriate, and they had the foresight to document the crime in progress.” This allowed us to construct a case and obtain a conviction.
This evidence-based prosecution exemplifies our dedication to apprehending individuals bent on harming children and securing their appearance in court. In this instance, we lacked evidence from the victim; nonetheless, this did not impede our pursuit of justice.
“By making the decision to film what she saw happening and sharing it with us, we now have a man who sexually abused a child behind bars.”
They added: “I hope this case provides confidence to anyone who is being abused or is worried about someone else that the police are here for you. We would encourage anyone who has been affected by child sexual abuse to contact police, but please be reassured that there are other services available that can offer specialist support.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.