Sex abuser has sentence increased following referral by the Solicitor General

A King’s Lynn man guilty of sexual offending against children has had his sentence increased after it was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP.

Sam Crouch, also known as Stuart Edwards, 34, committed a total of thirteen sexual offences over a six-year period, which included the creation of an indecent video and photographs of a child.

Additionally, Crouch was found to be in possession of indecent images of children and a computer tablet which breached conditions of an existing sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

On 29 October 2021, Crouch was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Following the sentencing, the Solicitor General referred Crouch’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

On 18 January the Court of Appeal found his original sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 5 years’ imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP said:

Crouch’s appalling behaviour spanned six years, and targeted young victims. I welcome this decision to increase the sentence to reflect the severity of his offending. I hope that the Court’s ruling can bring some comfort to the victims of his predatory offending.