Ricky Cutts, 37, of Marine Parade East, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was sentenced to 17 years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on 10 March 2026. He was convicted of eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault against a woman he began abusing in 2009.
The abuse started when the victim was a child and continued for nearly two decades until she contacted the police in June 2025. Cutts initially denied the charges but changed his plea to guilty in November 2025 after seeing the strength of the evidence gathered against him.
Detective Katie Knight of the Essex Police Child Abuse Investigation Team praised the victim for her bravery in coming forward to report the crimes. The officer noted that the victim’s decision to speak out helped bring the long-running series of offences to an end.
Judge Daniel Sawyer also ordered Cutts to serve an additional five years on an extended licence to ensure the public is kept safe. Along with the prison term, Cutts is subject to a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and is permanently banned from working with children.
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