A 71-year-old man has been jailed after he raped a teenage boy three times in a Norfolk town.

Lee Begbie has been sentenced to 19 years in prison following a series of incidents of serious sexual assault between January and October of 2003. 

A court heard Begbie befriended the boy in a shop and proceeded to rape him three times in Attleborough after inviting the child to his home address under the pretence of looking at his car.

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In the years that followed, the victim has been suicidal, had a failed marriage and missed a lot of his children growing up due to the things Begbie did to him while he was a teenager. 

He reported the offences in 2019, prompting a police investigation.

It led to Begbie, 71 and of Fryup, Whitby, appearing at Teesside Crown Court on Monday after previously being found guilty following a week-long trial and was jailed for 19 years.

He had been charged on 13 May 2021 with three counts of committing a serious sexual offence with a child under the age of 16.

After the case his victim said: "I distinctly remember feeling very numb and scared at the time and the years that followed.

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"I got to the point before I came forward, that I had planned how I was going to end my life.

“The offences committed against me, directly led to me being unable to deal with the emotions, which ultimately led to my marriage failing.

"I missed a lot of my own children growing up, due to being emotionally unavailable for them and not being able to support them as much as I would want to.”

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Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Matt Hendry said: “This sentence goes someway to reflect the gravity and seriousness of Begbie’s offending and the significant impact it has had on the victim and his wider family.

“I would like to take this opportunity to praise the victim for his bravery in giving evidence and helping protect the public from a dangerous offender. I hope that this sentence assists with his ongoing recovery and moving forward with what has happened.”

Victims of sexual offences who live in Norfolk can contact the Harbour Centre for free, 24/7 support on 01603 276381.