Essex man jailed 17 years for over a decade of sexual abuse that began in the victim’s childhood
The victim has been praised for her bravery in speaking up
An Essex man has been jailed to 17 years in prison, with a further five years on extended license, following years of inflicted sexual abuse on a woman, which began when she was a child.
37-year-old Ricky Cutts, of Marine Parade East in Clacton, was charged with eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault on 18 June 2025.
Cutts was remanded in custody and initially pleaded not guilty. He then changed his plea to guilty after realising the strength of the case against him.
The victim, who has been entitled to lifelong anonymity, first spoke to police in June 2025, and disclosed the sexual abuse Cutts had carried out since 2009, when she was still a child.
She set out a consistent pattern of sexual and physical abuse to police, inflicted by Cutts for more than a decade.
At a Chelmsford Crown Court hearing on Tuesday 10 March 2026 he was sentenced to 17 years in prison, with a further five years on extended licence, as well as a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, being added to the Sex Offenders Register for life and being barred from ever working with children again.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Katie Knight of CAIT said:
“I want the woman at the heart of this case to know how incredibly brave she was to speak to us.
“Disclosing this kind of abuse may be the most difficult thing a person ever does. To have faced it for almost two decades would have made this unimaginably hard, but she still spoke to us.
“It’s a privilege to be trusted by victims of crime in this way, and I’d encourage anyone, child or adult, who feels they may have been the victim of abuse to speak to us.
“It may be difficult but you will be listened to and you will be supported.”
The woman in this case said: “I learnt not to be afraid anymore. When I spoke up, I was believed.
“If there is anyone who is a victim of this abuse, you are stronger than you think you are, and you don’t have to suffer anymore.”