Cambridge man jailed for historical child sexual abuse

A MAN who sexually abused two children over two decades has been jailed for 27 years.

Robin Matthews, 63, of Hobart Road in Cambridge, was convicted of 21 offences following a week-long trial at Cambridge Crown Court last month (July).

He was arrested on July 1, 2015, after a man and a woman disclosed historical abuse by Matthews when they were children.

His victims were as young as four and nine-years-old when the abuse began, occurring on and off between 1970 and the early 1990s.

The woman told officers her earliest childhood memory was of Matthews sexually abusing her at the age of four and the abuse continued on a regular basis throughout her childhood years.

The man recalled the abuse starting while he was still at primary school, being anally penetrated by Matthews on a regular basis until he was about 16-years-old, describing Matthews as a “bully”, being “drunk and aggressive” and threatening him if he told anyone about the abuse.

On Friday, July 28, Matthews was convicted of 13 counts of indecent assault, seven counts of buggery and one count of child cruelty. Today (Thursday, September 7) he was sentenced to 27 years in prison with an extra year on licence. He has also been made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely preventing him from having any contact with children under the age of 18. An indefinite restraining order has been put in place prohibiting from contacting either of the victims.

Detective Constable Helen Tebbit, from the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said: “Both victims were subjected to sustained abuse over the course of 22 years. Matthews is a dangerous individual who threatened and manipulated his victims when they were both vulnerable children.

“I would like to thank the victims for giving evidence against Matthews, I know this would not have been easy, but I do hope they both find some closure knowing their abuser is now behind bars and they can move on with their lives.”

If you are concerned about a child who may be being abused, please visit the ‘who can help’ page on our force website.

For information on spotting the signs of child abuse, visit the ‘child sexual abuse’ section of our website.