The penalty for a dangerous sex offender has been increased

The court heard Ian Elliott, 71, from Pulborough, was a well-known member of the community. He was chairman of the local sports association and was involved in local clubs.

But after his arrest in September 2022, it was revealed that Elliott had raped and sexually assaulted several young men – as young as 16 – over two decades in West Sussex.

In November 2022, Elliott was charged with 92 different crimes, including 13 counts of rape, three counts of attempted rape, 13 counts of sexual assault and 20 counts of voyeurism.

The Attorney General, Robert Courts KC MP, said:

Ian Elliot is an extremely dangerous predator who abuses his position of trust to commit some of the most horrific rapes and sexual offenses against young men. I want to extend my deepest condolences to his victims and their families as they cope.

The Court of Appeal rightly agreed that his sentence was unduly lenient and that his sentence increase should serve as a clear warning that sex offenders will always be punished to the full extent of the law.

On 2 November 2023, at Lewes Crown Court, Elliot was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment with an additional five years for eleven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, 17 counts of voyeurism, eight counts of sexual assault and four counts of possession of Class A drugs, B and C, one case for actual bodily harm and one case for attempted perversion of justice.

On May 16, 2024, Elliott’s sentence was increased to an extended final sentence of 32 years, consisting of 27 years in prison and a five-year prison sentence, after she was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.