DEAN LEWIS FROM LUPSET SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN LEEDS

In a case that has shocked the local community of Lupset and the wider Leeds area, Dean Frederick Lewis, aged 39, was convicted of sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl during a babysitting session. The incident took place in November of the previous year, when Lewis was entrusted with caring for the young girl while her mother was temporarily away from their home.

Lewis, residing on Manor Road in Lupset, was initially sentenced to four years in prison last November after a jury found him guilty of molesting the child in her own bed. The court heard that the girl, distressed and upset, reported the incident upon her mother’s return, leading to Lewis’s arrest and subsequent conviction. During the trial at Leeds Crown Court, the prosecution presented evidence that Lewis entered the girl’s bedroom and engaged in inappropriate conduct. The young victim told her family that Lewis had come into her room and molested her, despite her attempts to push him away and tell him to leave.

Further evidence revealed that shortly after the incident, authorities found an item of the girl’s underwear in Lewis’s jeans pocket. Lewis denied the allegations, claiming that his possession of the underwear was due to “high-spirited acts,” but the jury was convinced otherwise, and he was convicted of sexual assault. Prosecutor Ben Crossland emphasized that the girl’s account was credible, and the court was told that Lewis’s actions had betrayed the trust placed in him as a babysitter.

In mitigation, Lewis’s defense attorney, Sam Andrews, highlighted that Lewis had no prior criminal record and had led a life free of legal trouble for nearly four decades. However, Judge Shaun Spencer QC, who sentenced Lewis in November, underscored the gravity of the breach of trust involved in the case, especially given that Lewis was left alone with the child while her mother was out. The judge also ordered that Lewis be registered as a sex offender for life and prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 13.

Recently, the Court of Appeal reviewed Lewis’s sentence. Mr. Justice Hedley, presiding over the hearing, acknowledged that Lewis exhibited signs of emotional instability and was diagnosed with a personality disorder deemed ‘not treatable.’ Despite the seriousness of the offense, the court concluded that the original four-year sentence was excessive, particularly considering Lewis’s lack of previous sex crime convictions. As a result, his sentence was reduced to three years.

The decision has been met with outrage from the victim’s mother, who chose to remain anonymous. She expressed her disbelief and disappointment, stating, “It’s disgusting. I don’t understand how it can be reduced. I don’t understand, it’s wrong. He should have got more, not less.” The mother, still emotionally shaken, revealed that the news of the sentence reduction has caused her to relive the traumatic events, and she fears that Lewis might be released early and encounter her family in Wakefield. She voiced her concern, saying, “I think I will bump into him. He won’t go away from Wakefield.”

The young girl, the victim of the assault, has yet to speak openly about the incident at home, and her family continues to support her through this difficult time. Lewis maintains his innocence, asserting that he did not commit the acts he was convicted of, and the case was initiated after the girl’s family reported her allegations. The court’s findings and the subsequent reduction in sentence have left the community and the victim’s family feeling distressed and betrayed, raising ongoing concerns about justice and the protection of vulnerable children in the area.