Photo: Antony Potts and Nathan Potts, West Midlands Police
Six family members and a family friend were involved in the ongoing sexual abuse.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Jul 22, 2018
Multiple members of family raped children for years in "the worst ever case of its kind" in the United Kingdom.
Three brothers, Joshua Potts, Antony Potts and Nathan Potts, were arrested for performing a string of sex acts on children over a 30-year period. Other family members were convicted or admitted to neglect or child cruelty, The Sun reported.
"This is one of the worst cases of systematic and horrifying child sexual abuse that I have ever seen," investigating officer Det. Sgt. Rachel Gregory from the force’s public protection unit said.
Antony, 49, was described as a "deeply depraved man" and was sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted on 13 counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and nine counts of inciting a child to perform a sexual act and cruelty.
“You are a deeply depraved man who has taken many, many opportunities to abuse children and corrupt them," Judge Carr said as he handed out Antony's sentence.
Joshua Potts, West Midlands Police
Antony's half-brother Joshua was locked up for 16 years after admitting to multiple counts of rape and sexual assault on children over the years.
The third brother, Nathan, will be sentenced next month. The 26-year-old was convicted of two counts of rape of a child, four counts of sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sex with an adult relative.
Antony's wife, Elaine, 50, and family friend Joanne Hoye, 42, pleaded guilty to neglect and were sentenced to four years behind bars.
Antony's father, Keith Potts, 67, and his wife, Julie, 60, were both jailed after being convicted of child cruelty, according to the Daily Telegraph. Keith will spend eight years behind bars while Julie was sentenced to seven.
Although the family and friend were just recently convicted of their horrific crimes, the jury heard the victims' previous attempts to get their abusers arrested.
Keith and Julie Potts, West Midlands Police
The Daily Telegraph reported that the abuse was first presented to authorities in 1989. A girl came forward and told police the abuse she suffered at the hands of Antony but the case never made it to trial.
In 2015, three children, all under the age of 14, claimed that Antony and other members of the family had abused them. Again, the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
The case was reopened the next year after a fifth victim detailed what the twisted family had done to her. The string of sexual abuse began to unravel and there was finally enough evidence to bring the deranged family to trial. Three more victims were identified as a result.
The victims' emotional accounts of the abuse they endured detailed how they were “groomed and brainwashed” by the family. One victim said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks along with "reduced self-worth" as a result of her abuse.
“All the children have been safeguarded and are receiving ongoing support to help them come to terms with their abuse," Detective Chief Inspector Jo Floyd, the senior investigating officer, said.
Joanne Hoye and Elaine Potts, West Midlands Police
Gregory praised the children for having the strength to come forward with their stories and, although nothing can undo the damage done to them, she hopes some closure will come as a result of their abusers' sentences.
"The investigation was complex and a lot of time and care was spent with the survivors in helping them to find the courage to talk about what happened to them and to ensure we could present the best possible evidence to the court, but also to make sure that their welfare was the primary consideration," Gregory said. "I hope that the sentences handed to the defendants goes some way to help them rebuild their lives."
Floyd urged anyone who has suffered sexual abuse to report it to the police regardless of when it occurred.
"I would urge anyone who has suffered any type of sexual abuse either currently or historically to get in touch with us," she said. "It is never too late for us to investigate this type of crime and we are determined to bring perpetrators to justice. Our officers are highly trained specialists in this field who work with a number of agencies and can offer support through the criminal process."
Sarah Gangraw is a travel-addicted cat lady who lives on black coffee and cheese. She has a degree in journalism and writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter — she's occasionally funny.