Child abuse victim speaks out to encourage others

A man who was sexually abused as a young boy has spoken about his experience to “give other people hope”.

Steve Lewsey, who was 10 years old when the abuse started, has come forward to encourage others to “speak out”.

The 51-year-old from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, reported the abuse – which began in the 1980s – to Sussex Police in 2011.

On Friday, 74-year-old Glenn Langrish was sentenced to 15 years at Hove Crown Court for multiple child sex offences.

Mr Lewsey and Langrish had worked together at a repair shop in Crawley when the abuse began.

Mr Lewsey, who has waived his right to anonymity, said there would be more victims of Langrish.

“Hopefully one of those will have the courage to come forward.

“But it’s not against Glenn, it’s against any other any person who’s committed similar offences.

“It just demonstrates to people that after all these years, the police will listen to you, the police will take it seriously. It may take some time, but you need to stick with it and you need to see it to the end.”

Steve Lewsey said the abuse made him struggle to trust people

An international manhunt which lasted 12 years led to the arrest of Langrish in July 2023, after he was extradited to the UK from Poland.

Langrish had moved to Sweden and changed his last name to Stephens after being released from prison for unrelated child sex offences in 1994, Sussex Police said.

Mr Lewsey also spoke of getting justice 40 years on.

“I’m a different person now than I was before the trial,” he said, adding that he felt “calmer”.

Mr Lewsey said he did not want people to be deterred from coming forward.

“We need to prove to the people that commit these awful offences that we’re stronger than them.

“Don’t be beaten by them, stand up to them.”

In court, Mr Lewsey said he read out his victim impact statement directly to Langrish.

“I wanted to look him in the eye to see that he hadn’t broken me,” he added.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help is available from BBC Action Line.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].