Man, 75, jailed for abusing multiple children

A 75-year-old man has been jailed for 21 years after he was found guilty of sexually abusing multiple children.

Brian Smith, previously of Simon De Senlis Court in Robert Street, Northampton, committed the offences in the 1990s and 2000s against four children.

The court was told that Smith abused all of the children over a prolonged period of time and when confronted with the allegations in 2021, claimed that they had all made it up.

One of the survivors was a boy at the time of the offences whilst the other three were girls.

Over the years, Smith sexually assaulted each of them on multiple occasions, made them watch pornography and also committed rape.

He was eventually charged with 27 offences –  three counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, three counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14, two counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15, six counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14, and six counts of inciting a boy under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency.

Following a trial at Northampton Crown Court in May of last year, the jury convicted him of 14 charges but could not decide on the others.

A retrial was set for November but Smith pleaded guilty to the remaining offences prior to it starting.

He returned to the same court last week (January 28) where he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Lead investigator - Detective Sergeant Ryan Tilly said: “I am really pleased that Brian Smith has finally been brought to justice for his horrific sexual offending and whilst nothing will ever erase what happened to these four people, I hope that this significant sentence provides them with some sense of justice.

“They have shown exceptional bravery in reporting this abuse to us, supporting the investigation from start to finish, and appearing at court to give evidence against their abuser. All of them have found courage they should never have had to call upon and I am really proud to have met them and been part of their journey toward justice.

“This has been a complex four-year investigation but we have achieved a result which will see Smith live out the rest of his days in prison which is exactly where he belongs.

“I hope this case goes to show just how seriously the police and the justice system take crimes such as this and that it doesn’t matter how long ago the abuse was, we will still do everything we can to secure justice.

“I’d like to thank the Judge for the sentence she passed, and I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse but has not yet come forward to contact us. We will believe you and we will do everything we can to bring your abuser to justice.”

*This report has been released with the support of the survivors, who have the legal right to lifelong anonymity* 

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 rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713.

Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.

You can also 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.