John Bright, 79, jailed for string of historic sex offences

A man has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of almost two decades of sexual abuse against under-age girls.

Alan Bright, 79, had denied 22 charges of rape, indecent assault and inciting under-age girls to commit gross indecency which spanned between approximately 1970 to 1990.

The charges related to seven victims aged from three to 15, and the offences took place around Colchester.

Bright, also known as John, was convicted after a three-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court and was sentenced today.

Judge Patricia Lynch sentenced Bright, of Almond Way, Colchester, to 15 years in jail and also made him subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

She described Bright as cunning and manipulative and said he had taken advantage of his victims.

The sentence would have been much higher if the crimes had been committed today, but under UK law crimes must be sentenced under guidelines which were in place at the time of the offences.

Detective Constable Cornelius Bowen, investigating officer from the North Hub Child Abuse Investigation Team at Essex Police, was commended by the judge for his work on the case since the offences came to light in May 2013.

Det Con Bowen said: “Bright has never shown any remorse or admitted his crimes.

“He put his victims through hell and the distressing ordeal of giving evidence and undergoing cross-examination in court.

“It has personally been one of the hardest cases I have dealt with.

“I am happy with the sentence handed down to Bright and just hope that when he sits in his prison cell, he remembers the ordeal he put those girls through.”