In 2019, the Offender Database reported that James Anderson, then 34, of Michelham Road, Uckfield, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court. The former town councillor and local business owner was jailed for two years and eight months after being exposed as a predator who used his positions of authority to abuse teenage girls for his own sexual gratification.
The court heard that between 2014 and 2017, James Anderson preyed upon “naive and trusting” girls he had befriended through his work. At the time of the offences, Anderson was a prominent figure in the community, serving as an elected member of Uckfield Town Council, owning a local shop, and working as a manager at a garden centre in Crawley. He used these roles to build trust over long periods before subjecting the victims to humiliating and distressing sexual abuse.
James Anderson pleaded guilty to six offences, including three counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in a sexual act without consent. Four additional charges, including one involving a fourth victim, were ordered to remain on his file. Judge Jeremy Gold described the abuse as humiliating and noted that Anderson had completely disgraced his public office.
In addition to his custodial sentence, James Anderson was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which remains in place until further notice. This order severely restricts his ability to access the internet and prohibits any unsupervised contact with females under the age of 16. Following the investigation, Anderson was removed from the town council and his business in Uckfield was closed.
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