ALUN EVANS FROM KIRKHEATON LEEDS SENTENCED FOR LIFE AFTER CHILD RAPE SPREE IN CITY CENTRE AND SURROUNDING AREAS

In a harrowing case that has shocked the community, Alun Evans, a man from Kirkheaton, Leeds, was sentenced to life imprisonment following a series of heinous crimes against young boys. The Leeds Crown Court heard how Evans, aged 23 at the time of sentencing, systematically targeted vulnerable children over several years, culminating in a brutal rape in a busy city-centre department store.

Evans’s criminal activities spanned from at least 1992, when magistrates first placed him on probation at the age of 17 for two separate indecent assaults on boys. The first incident occurred in June of that year when Evans approached two 13-year-old boys at Dalton Bank quarry. One of the boys managed to escape, but the other was forcibly made to remove his trousers and was molested by Evans. This early offending pattern was a disturbing indication of Evans’s predatory tendencies.

While on bail for that initial attack, Evans committed further offences, including grabbing a 14-year-old schoolboy sitting on a bridge overlooking the Rochdale canal at Todmorden. He dragged the boy into nearby bushes and was in the process of indecently assaulting him when he was interrupted and caught by a passerby, preventing further harm.

The court detailed how Evans’s offending escalated over the years. In 1995, he targeted a six-year-old boy playing near a railway line in Mirfield. Disguised in a yellow fluorescent jacket to resemble a railway worker, Evans approached the children, who fled in fear. Evans pursued and caught the youngest child, forcing him into bushes where he attempted to commit a sexual assault. Although police were alerted, Evans was not apprehended at that time.

The following summer, Evans gained the trust of two brothers and their parents, allowing him to stay at his home on multiple occasions. During this period, he indecently assaulted one of the boys, aged between 10 and 11, on six or seven separate occasions. Despite these repeated offences, Evans remained free to continue his predatory behaviour until the most recent incident.

The most recent and most disturbing attack occurred in August 1998. The victim, a young boy who was shopping with his mother and sister, was allowed to wander off briefly. While exploring sports stores and then entering the toilets at the BhS department store in Leeds, he was followed by Evans. The offender had initially been targeting another boy but lost him in the crowded shopping centre. Spotting the young boy alone, Evans seized the opportunity.

As the boy washed his hands, Evans grabbed him and dragged him into a cubicle, where he subjected him to a rape despite the boy’s protests and struggles. The incident was witnessed by a security guard, Tom Rawlings, who immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation when he saw Evans leave the toilets and found the distressed boy. Rawlings pursued Evans but was unable to catch him.

Prosecutor Tom Bayliss presented evidence that identified Evans through security footage from the store and the Bond Street shopping centre. The victim and a witness who attempted to intervene described Evans so accurately that police were able to locate him after his photograph was published. Evans was subsequently charged and admitted to the rape in August, along with the attempted rape of the six-year-old in 1995 and indecent assault on another boy in 1996.

Judge Brian Walsh QC, the Recorder of Leeds, sentenced Evans to life imprisonment, describing him as “extremely dangerous and a considerable risk to the public for the foreseeable future.” The judge emphasized that Evans’s disturbed personality and pattern of increasingly serious offences, culminating in the brutal rape, warranted his detention until such time as he was deemed no longer a threat. The court also awarded £100 to Gordon Rawlings, the security guard who tried to apprehend Evans, acknowledging the importance of security cameras in city-centre crime prevention.

In mitigation, Jennifer Kershaw QC, representing Evans, expressed remorse and noted that Evans had been a victim himself, suggesting he was not beyond help. The court heard how the young boy, traumatized by the attack, suffered significant emotional distress, losing confidence and developing a fear of being alone. He also feared contracting HIV, which caused months of anxiety until tests confirmed he was HIV-negative. The boy’s father praised the police, especially Detective Constable John Rowson, for their support and diligent efforts throughout the case.

Superintendent Eddie Hemsley, who led the investigation, stated, “Our sympathy goes out to the boy and his family. At least he now knows that this dangerous man is behind bars.” The case has left a lasting impact on the community, highlighting the importance of vigilant security measures and the relentless pursuit of justice for vulnerable victims.