Ipswich pensioner convicted of child sex assaults dating back 60 years in landmark case

Paul Andrews, of Hawthorn Drive, was found guilty after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court of five rapes, seven indecent assaults and two other sex assaults on four victims aged between six and 12 at the time of the offences.

Three of the indecent assaults occurred between 1957 and 1962.

It is believed to be the longest period between the commission of a sexual offence in Suffolk and a perpetrator’s conviction. It is also one of the longest in country’s history.

The most recent assaults were said to have occurred in 2011.

Andrews is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court tomorrow.

The wheelchair user had been due to stand trial at Ipswich Crown Court, but access problems meant the case was switched to Chelmsford to accommodate his disability.

At the start of Andrews’ trial prosecutor Christopher Wing explained how one of the victims came forward in August last year alleging she had been abused by Andrews.

She had confided in a friend, which then gave her the confidence to go to police, the court heard.

Three further victims then made allegations against him and Andrews was arrested by police in November.

In her interview with police officers, one victim said: “I didn’t know what to do, I just froze. I was too young to know what was going on.”

Mr Wing said: “The charges relate to a series of serious sexual assaults by this defendant over a number of years.

“Over the course of this trial, the prosecution will prove these charges and you will be sure the defendant is guilty.”

Andrews had denied the charges.

He told police in an interview that the historic allegations made against him were “completely untrue”.

Andrews had been remanded in custody at Norwich prison before his trial.

The oldest criminal case in UK legal history is believed to be that of Reginald Davies, 78, who was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court in October 2012 of sexually assaulting four young girls between 1949 and 1973.