'Dirty paedophile' Army veteran sentenced to almost two decades behind bars for child sex offences

A ‘dirty paedophile’ who committed historic sex offences against multiple children has been put behind bars.

Earlier this week, Chris Cotton, 64, formerly of Leigh Park and more recently living in Hounslow, was found guilty of 11 different counts of child sex offences, including rape, indecent assault and inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

The majority of these offences took place in Havant, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His accusers have a life-long right to anonymity.

At Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday, September 18), those who survived his abuse were able to watch him being sent to prison.

In a victim impact statements, one of the survivors said: “The abuse I suffered as a child has affected almost every part of my life. It’s had a lasting impact on my ability to trust people and feel safe.

“As I have grown older, the affects of the abuse have continued to impact my mental health. These aren’t events from my childhood that I can leave in the past - I continue to feel them in my everyday life.

“I feel sadness and frustration that something that happened to me as a child has influenced the person I have become. It was trauma I should never have had to carry.”

Another added: “You sexually abused me as a child. You wrecked my life - as a child. I was nine years old when you started, and 11 when you raped me.

“You are nothing but a dirty paedophile.”

A third said: “I was six years old when Cotton sexually abused me. Since then I have struggled to trust men, both romantically and in friendships. I didn’t choose this distrust - and cannot simply switch it off.

“I had to deal with what a six-year-old could not process.”

The court heard how Cotton had 10 sets of previous convictions, the first of which dated back to 1986 - for which he was also dismissed from the Army for misconduct. His most recent conviction had been a driving offence in 2005, with no other sexual offences committed.

Becuase the offences were committed in the 70s and 80s, Judge Daniel Sawyer had to sentence Cotton according to the guidelines at that time - which would have led to a lesser sentence.

Judge Sawyer said: “My usual practice is to take one lead offence, then everything else is concurrent. My instinct here is to make the lead offence count three. It’s a rape offence committed when Cotton was an adult, and is therefore the most serious offence.”

Cotton stood wide-eyed throughout the hearing, until it came to him being sentenced. When the judge asked him to stand, the 64-year-old stood at ease in the dock, with his chest puffed out.

Judge Sawyer said: “Inevitably, you will be spending a long period of time in prison. All three of these ladies have been seriously affected by your abuse of them.

“There is unquestionably severe psychological harm here to.”

Cotton was sentenced to 17 years in prison, with an additional year on licence. An indefinite restraining order was also enforced against all three of his victims.