Warwickshire man jailed after 'years of systematic abuse' against young girls

The two victims, aged between 9 and 18, suffered 16 years of sexual abuse by John Gillatt.

John Derek Gillatt, 65, from Lutterworth was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 12 August) after he was found guilty of six counts of rape, six counts of sexual assault, one count of making an indecent image of a child, one count of possessing extreme pornography and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was ordered to serve 22 years in prison and a further year on licence.

Gillatt was arrested in May 2020 after Warwickshire Police received a report raising concern he was sexually abusing a child.

Enquiries led to the two victims being identified who were aged between nine and 18 when they were sexually abused by Gillatt. The offences took place between 2004 and 2020.

Gillatt, who owned a car mat manufacturing business, would his business premises around the county as sites to abuse his victims.

Detective Constable Steve Gilks from the Warwickshire Police Child Abuse, Trafficking and Exploitation Team said: “Gillatt gave the outward appearance of being an upstanding member of the community but behind this façade he was grooming and sexually abusing these young children. One can’t begin to imagine the impact years of systematic abuse has had on them.

“The sentence handed down to Gillatt reflects the severity of the offences for which he was convicted.

“He leaves behind him devastated lives due to his selfish actions. The victims now have the hope of moving forward with their lives but will forever be reminded of the abuse they suffered by this man and this will be their burden for life. I hope the sentence plays a role in helping them deal with his actions.

“They have shown incredible bravery in reporting his offending and supporting this investigation. I hope it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward to police so we can bring other offenders to justice.”