Police praise victims' bravery as 'predatory animal' taken off the streets

We reported how Darren Trott, 33, gave his young victims legal highs before carrying out sex attacks on them in his caravan in Sunderland's Sheepfolds when they were 'insensible'.

He was jailed for four years and eight months at a hearing yesterday. The court was told his three victims were all homeless or in the care system.

Detective Chief Inspector Claire Wheatley, of Northumbria Police's Safeguarding Department, today thanked the victims for their courage in helping put Trott behind bars.

She said: "We are glad that the judge has handed a custodial sentence to Darren Trott and that his immediate future will be spent behind bars.

"He preyed on vulnerable women and plied them with alcohol and drugs before he sexually abused them. He targeted the most vulnerable in society and he deserves the punishment handed to him today.

"These court proceedings would have incredibly difficult for Trott's victims and I want to commend their bravery throughout the course of these legal proceedings.

"Their courage has seen an predatory animal taken off our streets and put behind bars where he belongs."

The court in Trott's case heard how one of his victims burned herself with bleach and Dettol while trying to clean away the sickening memories of what the attacker did to her.

Detective Chief Inspector Wheatley said: "Nobody deserves to go through the same ordeal that his victims have and they will continue to receive all the support they need from specialist officers who have been with them throughout this case.

"Protecting vulnerable people is the absolute priority of Northumbria Police and we will work hard every single day to put men like DarrenTrott behind bars.

"Anyone who is the victim of a sexual assault should always feel confident that they can report it to police. We will believe you and we will take action."

Councillor Harry Trueman, Chair of the Safer Sunderland Partnership, added: “We are pleased to see that justice has been done.

“Preying on vulnerable people can never be tolerated and we hope that this sentence will serve as a warning to others.

“The city council worked in partnership with Northumbria Police to help them bring this case to court to court. This included council staff working as part of the specialist Sanctuary Team investigating child sexual abuse, gathering intelligence from other council services and supporting victims to disclose the abuse to the police.

“This was a case of a manipulative man who preyed on young women and exploited their vulnerabilities. It took many months of hard work on the part of the agencies involved to gain the confidence of his victims and support them to the point where they were ready to give evidence to put him behind bars.”