In 2011, the Offender Database reported that Lawrence Button, then 22, of Littlebury Gardens, Colchester, Essex, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. On 16 December 2011, Button appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court for a “vicious” and “unprovoked” sexual assault on a woman in the grounds of Essex University.
The investigation established that on 17 December 2009, a 22-year-old woman was walking along a path in Wivenhoe when Button grabbed her from behind. He pushed her to the ground, covered her eyes and mouth with his hands, and carried out a “vile” sexual assault before fleeing the scene. Although Essex Police recovered DNA at the time, there was no match on the national database for over six months.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The breakthrough in the case came in May 2010 when Button was arrested for an unrelated domestic assault. His DNA was taken and subsequently matched to the university attack. Det Con Dave Glasgow labelled Button a “dangerous offender” who had caused “long-term distress and anguish” to the survivor and her family. The court reported that Button had attempted to “manipulate the judicial system” for 18 months before a jury eventually found him guilty.
The prosecution emphasised that the attack created a climate of “concern and fear” among the student population at Essex University. The judge emphasised that the “frightening” nature of the assault, involving a lone female in a public park, necessitated an immediate custodial sentence. For his crimes in Colchester, the court determined that Button posed a “serious” risk to women and required “stringent” monitoring upon his release.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Colchester, Essex, Lawrence Button was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: Two years in immediate custody.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated (typically for 10 years for this sentence length).
- Conviction: Found guilty of sexual assault.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Button was managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Essex Police. His history of “persistent” aggression and the “vicious” targeting of a lone victim meant his status remained under scrutiny by the National Probation Service during his supervision period.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Button was required to comply with notification requirements regarding his residence in Colchester. Authorities state that his risk management was a “critical” priority to ensure the safety of the local community and university students. Any breach of his registration conditions or his licence terms following his release from prison would have resulted in his immediate return to Chelmsford Crown Court.
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