Bognor Regis photograph

Bognor Regis

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Weather15°C, Wind SE at 10 km/h, 89% Humidity
Population24,064 (Civil Parish. 2011)
Shire county West Sussex
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Postcode districtPO21-22
Date of Reg.
Date of Upd.
ID760399
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About Bognor Regis


Bognor Regis is a seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, 55. 5 miles south-west of London, 24 miles west of Brighton, 5. 81 miles south-east of Chichester and 16 miles east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the south-west.

Chichester: Wife and carer jailed for enslaving disabled husband

Sep 6,2022 7:21 pm

By Christian Fuller & Nikki MitchellBBC News

The wife and carer of a disabled man have been jailed under modern slavery laws.

Sarah Somerset-How and her lover George Webb left Tom Somerset-How bedbound and malnourished in his home in Chichester, West Sussex , for Four Years .

Mr Somerset-How said he lived " under duress and threat" and was forced into " survival mode".

At Portsmouth Crown Court , Ms Somerset-How and Webb, both of Bognor Regis , were sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In what is thought to be The First prosecution of its kind, the pair were convicted of wilful neglect and holding a person in slavery or servitude.

In addition, Webb was also convicted of causing actual Bodily Harm .

Mr Somerset-How, 40, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is partially blind and requires 24-hour care.

Over Four Years , he was physically and psychologically abused, left without sufficient food and drink and forced To Live in squalid conditions after Webb was hired as a live-in carer in 2016, The Court heard.

The Lovers took advantage of him for their own financial gains and separated him from His Family , who reported The Situation to The Police in August 2020.

Police said texts between The Defendants ' mobile phones showed they had started a sexual relationship together and intentionally neglected Mr Somerset-How to take drugs and plan nights away.

In sentencing, Judge William Ashworth said Mr Somerset-How was " held in slavery, kept in bed, frequently in his own urine and excrement, unwashed, unkempt and absent from contact from other humans".

He told The Court that Mr Somerset-How had suffered " serious psychological harm" was " humiliated" and treated as " a cow to be milked".

'Utterly destroyed me'

When he was rescued, Mr Somerset-How weighed just 6st 10lbs (43kg).

" I was literally in bed for 95% of Four Years . There was one point where I didn't get showered in five weeks, " He Said .

" The emotional toll's been ridiculous and the psychological toll. It's completely, utterly destroyed me. There's no retribution that will ever equalise what they've done to me. "

He added: " As Far as George goes, because he was a carer, he should never, ever have the opportunity to do this to anybody again. "

Prior to sentencing, Mr Somerset-How's victim impact statement was read out by The Prosecution barrister, Paul Calvin.

" I go To My room and just scream, " it said.

The Statement also said that Mr Somerset-How had had suicidal thoughts and been left with significant debt.

Det Con Cheyne Garrett said she was shocked when she realised the scale of the " depravity" shown by the couple.

" He was stuck in that room. His money was spent. It is despicable and it shouldn't have happened, " She Said .

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Source of news: bbc.com

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