Man sentenced for 18 sexual offences as part of Abington Street investigation

A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years and six months after he was convicted of 18 sexual offences as part of Operation Antigua.

Op Antigua was launched at the end of June 2020 and focuses on reported sexual abuse between the years of 2006 and 2016, all originating from the statue in Abington Street, Northampton, where young people would gather.

A number of people have been convicted and sent to prison as part of the operation with one of the biggest cases concluding today (December 20) at Northampton Crown Court with Alex Stephen Coleman, previously of Redruth Close, Northampton, being sentenced for three counts of rape, six counts of sexual activity with a child, six counts of sexual assault and three counts of assault by penetration.

Coleman committed the offences against five girls between April 2008 and March 2011 when they were between the ages of 13 and 17. During this time, he was aged 18-21. 

At the hearing at Northampton Crown Court today, victim impact statements from all five survivors were referred to in court, which outlined the impact Coleman’s offending had on them.

One woman stated how she “feels sad for her 14-year-old self” when she looks back on what happened, whilst another recalled the offending causing her to become withdrawn at school.

After being arrested as part of Op Antigua in 2020, Coleman was charged with the offences in July 2022 and following a 13-day trial which ended at the beginning of October, the jury found him guilty of 18 offences after 11 hours of deliberation.

He was sentenced today (December 20) to 14 years and six months in prison.

As he sentenced Coleman, His Honour Judge David Herbert said: “When your victims said no, you just ignored them and pressed on. I doubt you fully understand the effect that your sexual offending had on these complainants.”

Lead investigator - Detective Inspector Colin Bowers said: “First of all, I want to commend the survivors in this case for their bravery - from the courage it took to contact us in the first place to the resolve it has taken to support our investigation and the subsequent court case.

“Although nothing can take away what Alex Coleman did, I hope this result provides these women not only with some closure, but also pride in the fact that their actions have resulted in a sexual predator being jailed for a long time and unable to harm anyone else.

“I welcome the lengthy sentence handed to Coleman today and I hope it goes to show the seriousness with which the police and the courts take crimes such as this.”

Detective Chief Inspector Liz Basham who oversees Op Antigua, said: “This is a great sentence and I want to thank the investigation team whose hard work has brought about this fantastic result, especially DI Colin Bowers - the officer in charge of the investigation, and DC Hayley Reed who has been supporting the survivors throughout the case.

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to investigate sexual abuse, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure the voices of the survivors are heard.”

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.

We will believe you.

If you have been a victim of a sexual abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police. 

*This press release has been released with the support and agreement of the survivors*