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Actor Stuart Antony has claimed he "suffered in silence" as he went from years of abuse at the hands of paedophile Billy Nutt.
EastEnders actor Stuart, 34, claims Nutt began abusing him when he was just ten years old and carried out his abuse on his narrowboat, One Moment.
The former backing singer for Dame Shirley Bassey committed a string of offences between 1998 and 2007 on three victims around several towns in Kent, including Maidstone, Dartford and Broadstairs.
Nutt, who was once a pub landlord started his career in 1997, singing on cruise ships and in theatres before releasing five solo albums and also supporting Shirley.
The disgraced singer was reported to Kent Police between 2014 and 2016 before being arrested and charged with 21 counts of sexual crimes involving three children.
He was sentenced to 18 years for the abuse at Southwark Crown Court, having initially denied the charges but a jury found him guilty after a 12-day trial at Maidstone Crown Court in August 2021.
Waving his right to anonymity, Stuart who also appeared on ITV's The Bill said Nutt had previously sung in the pub where his mother worked.
He said: "We just saw him like an uncle but looking back it was all part of that grooming process."
Stuart first contacted police about his ordeal in 2016 after discovering Nutt had abused another child.
He continued: "What triggered it for me was knowing he had just been jailed for abusing another child.
"I thought if I come forward and report it, I might prevent him from attacking other victims.
"I picked up the phone, I felt guilty and nervous but I knew this had to be done, I had had years of counselling and thought I could deal with the issues that way but deep inside I knew I need to report him to the police and I am so glad that I did."
However, he was somewhat reluctant to tell police officers the true extent of what happened, claiming he felt "embarrassment and guilt".
"I had bottled this up for years, which affected all my personal life leaving me angry and drinking too much," he explained.
The case against Nutt took five years to get to court due to investigations, leaving Stuart tempted to say "I don't want to continue".
He attended the sentencing, explaining he was "genuinely shocked" when he heard Nutt had been sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
Stuart said: "William Nutt sexually abused me on hundreds of occasions over a long period of time which has mentally scarred me. I cannot and will not let this haunt me for the rest of my life.
"My anger, sadness and guilt towards this situation has controlled me for over two decades and it will not from this moment on.
"The fact that I’ve had to stand up in a court full of people and tell them exactly what happened to me is the most embarrassing and shameful moment of my life.
"Having to tell my mother, partner and loved ones intimate details about this abuse is something that I wouldn’t wish on anybody."
Nutt was previously jailed for four years in 2015 for abusing a four-year-old boy and again for nine months in 2019 for grooming another child.
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