A MAN FOUND guilty of raping a girl in England in 1978 has been sentenced to eight years in jail.

A jury had returned a unanimous guilty verdict against Colin Hudson (64) on 19 April at Croydon Crown Court. He was sentenced today, at the same court.

The court heard that in March 2015 the victim, who is now in her 50s, reported to Dorset Police that as a 12-year-old girl she had been groomed and raped by Hudson at his home in Croydon.

She described how he had ingratiated himself into her family and convinced her that he was her boyfriend in a secret relationship.

Before the day of the attack, Hudson pressured the victim to visit his address in Croydon, which she agreed to do. The suspect then instructed the victim to get into his bed and undress, before he raped her, the court was told.

The victim described feeling overwhelmed and in a state of shock following the attack and said she unable to tell anyone at the time what had happened.

She felt unable to report the allegation to the authorities until after her father died in 2012. She described then having a greater confidence that her allegation would be believed by authorities.

Officers charged Hudson with rape on 22 June 2016.

‘A long wait for justice’ 

During the trial, the suspect continued to deny any responsibility, however a jury found him guilty following a nine-day trial.

Detective Constable Gregg Nicol from the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit said: “This was a complex investigation into a 40-year historical allegation of rape in which Hudson probably thought he would escape justice after so many years.

I praise the victim’s bravery in reporting her allegation and her determination in seeking a conviction.

Detective Inspector Simon Dowling from the same unit added: “The victim has waited a long time to get the justice she deserves. I hope this result will mean other victims will have the confidence to come forward to report rape no matter when it happened in their lives.

“The victim has had to live her life after suffering at the hands of Hudson 40 years ago and although this result will never give her back that time, I hope it will provide some closure and she can now put this behind her.”