Sixteen-year sentence for man who groomed and raped boy in Littlehampton

Matthew Johnston has been jailed for 16 years for grooming and sexually abusing a young boy in Littlehampton over several years.

Johnston, 49, of Haynes Close in Tottenham, London, began grooming and sexually assaulting the victim in 2014 when he was four years old.

Over a number of ensuing years, Johnston subjected the boy to repeated rapes and sexual abuse.

Johnston was a regular attendee at ComiCon-style events, and used events based around Star Wars and superheroes to groom the victim.

The abuse was reported to Sussex Police in December, 2024, at which point the victim and his family were supported by specialist officers and an investigation was launched.

Johnston was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of rape of a child under 13, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

At Hove Crown Court on Friday, 10 October, he was found guilty on all counts.

At the same court on Monday (23 March), he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further five years to be spent on extended licence after the Court judged him to be a dangerous offender.

He has also been given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, Restraining Order and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Detective Constable Jacob Parkin said: “Matthew Johnston groomed, manipulated and abused this young victim over many years, in a total betrayal of the trust of him and his family.

“My thanks go to the victim and his family for their strength throughout this investigation. I have no doubt how challenging this process has been for them, but they have helped bring a dangerous offender to justice.

“If you, or anyone you know, has been a victim of sexual offending, please report it to Sussex Police. We will support you and we will do all we can to get you justice.”

Support is also available from some of our community partners:

• Survivors Network: providing emotional and practical support.
• Life Centre: trauma-informed therapy and counselling services.
• Mankind: dedicated support for male victim-survivors delivered by men.
• Veritas Justice: independent support for victims of stalking

Find out more about the free support available to victim-survivors of crime on the Safe Space Sussex website.