Court ‘Monster’ who raped young girl jailed for life
ATEARFUL mother told a court she wished the “monster” who subjected her young daughter to a hideous campaign of rape, which he filmed, would stay behind bars for life.
The mum gave her emotional impact statement at the sentencing of Steven Sutton yesterday, which moved everyone including the judge.
Sutton, 60, an electrical engineer from Redcatch Road, Knowle, had been of previous good character but came to the attention of police for downloading images of child sexual abuse.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to 30 offences including rape of a child.
The Recorder of Bristol His Honour Judge Peter Blair KC jailed him for life with a minimum 13 years.
He told Sutton: “You were committing unspeakable crimes against her.”
The judge commended police for their investigation, especially Det Con Fiona Currey and PC Rosie Murrell.
Sutton was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to stop further offending.
He was also told to register as a sex offender for life and was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Ian Fenny, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Sutton sexually abused the little girl, when she was aged five to six, for some eight months.
He not only subjected her to severe sexual assaults, he also filmed hours of abuse in which he was violent and tied the child up. Police trawled through the heinous footage to compile a comprehensive catalogue of evidence against him.
The victim’s mum sat behind a screen as she gave her impact statement, with Sutton using a hearing loop in the dock.
She described him as a “monster who robbed her child of her innocence”.
Fighting back emotion, she said: “When the officers told me, the words to me felt surreal. I was numb. Life will never be the same again and it feels overwhelming.
“My child will never be care-free and running wild again. I hope that with years of support, we may get better.
“I will do everything I can to make sure [we] are OK, but it should never have happened.
“He has destroyed my family. He has broken us all in different ways.
“He has changed her life, changed her future and given her trauma that will affect her for the rest of her life.
“He is a danger to any child and to society.
“He doesn’t deserve to be free. But I want Sutton to know, he won’t break us forever. We will get stronger; we will get better.”
She added: “I wish I could have protected her from the monster who was abusing her.”
Giles Nelson, defending, said his mitigation focused on Sutton’s prompt guilty plea as opposed to taking the case to trial.
He said: “It is a very disturbing case, there is no argument regarding the context of the sentencing guidelines.”