Newhaven man sentenced for sex offences against young boys

Keith Freeman, 68, retired, of Brighton Road, Newhaven, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday (March 7), having been convicted on the same day, after a trial, of seven offences and having admitted three others.

He committed nine offences of serious sexual assault, attempted and gross indecency against one boy aged under 16 over a four-year period, and one offence of indecent assault against a second teenage boy over a two-year period.

Freeman will be a registered sex offender for life.

He met the first boy, who was vulnerable and alone, in Brighton town centre, invited him back to his nearby flat and began a series of sexual assaults that extended over some four years until the boy felt brave enough to end the relationship, police said.

The second boy fell into Freeman’s clutches as a teenager, and Freeman offered him a lift while he was hitchhiking back to where he was living in Rottingdean. Freeman made advances to the boy, eventually engaging him in sexual activity, police said.

Detective Constable Tom Duffy said: “These victims came to us separately. They were vulnerable at the time of the offences and their experiences have clearly caused them considerable emotional damage that has affected their lives since.

“However they were ready and able to give their evidence in court and this helped ensure that justice was done.

“Freeman was a predatory sexual offender against these vulnerable young boys and the seriousness of this has been reflected in his sentence.”