Overview

• The father, two brothers and the grandfather were convicted of sexual offences against the older girl, while the mother was found guilty of child cruelty and false imprisonment.
• The mother and the uncle were also convicted of perverting the course of justice for pressuring the child to change her account while the family was on bail.
• The case came to light when the older sister told school staff she was too frightened to return home, prompting a Sussex Police investigation and specialist safeguarding support.
• Jurors deliberated for more than 20 hours before returning the verdicts on 39 of 42 charges after a trial that began in mid‑September.
• Police say the sisters remain under specialist care and have urged the public to avoid online speculation to protect the victims’ legal anonymity.