Construction worker Bradley Martin who raped three-year-old child over six-month period sentenced

A construction worker who raped a three-year-old child has been sentenced to 31 years of jail and supervision. 29-year-old Bradley Martin was jailed for 23 years with another eight years on licence.

Martin, from Bexhill in Sussex, raped his victim multiple times between April and October last year. He was arrested on October 26, 2022 and police discovered some disturbing searches on his phone.

Police discovered phone searches for ‘how do police know if something has been penetrated?’ and ‘how many years for sex offenders in Bexhill?’. They also found 127 illegal images of extreme pornography involving both animals and humans.

His shocking crimes came to light after the child’s mother took them to the hospital, after finding injuries she could not explain. Hospital staff in Hastings raised concerns to Sussex Police and an investigation was launched.

He was charged with three counts of rape of a child under 13 and remanded in custody. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was convicted on all of them at Hove Crown Court in July and sentenced last week.

Detective Constable Kelly Yates, of Hastings’ Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said: “Bradley Martin abused his young victim in the most heinous way, uncovered thanks to the care of the child’s mother and diligence of medical professionals.

“My thanks go to the victim and their family for their courage and determination through what has been an extremely difficult process. With their support we have been able to put Martin behind bars for a significant amount of time and put steps in place to ensure he can cause no further harm to the public.”