GLYNN KENYON'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN HALIFAX AND ILLINGWORTH: LIFE SENTENCES FOR SEX OFFENSES AND ATTACKS

In a case that has shocked the communities of Halifax and Illingworth, Glynn Kenyon, aged 43, has been convicted of a series of heinous crimes that span over a decade and a half. The proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of abuse, including sexual assault, torture, and violent attacks, committed by Kenyon against vulnerable victims, some of whom were children at the time.

Kenyon, who resides on Furness Drive in Illingworth, Halifax, was initially sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2001 for the attempted murder of Jean Maguire, a woman from Halifax, in 1997. The gravity of his crimes was further underscored in February 2002 when Leeds Crown Court handed down an additional 16 life sentences to him for a series of other serious offenses. These included the rape and prolonged torture of two young girls, acts that spanned a period of fifteen years and left lasting scars on the victims.

The court heard that Kenyon, who was employed at a maggot farm and a stone yard, was found guilty of attempting to murder a woman he randomly attacked in the street in Halifax. The sentence handed down was a life term, reflecting the severity of his actions. However, it was his earlier crimes against two young girls that drew the most condemnation. The judge described the victims, now adults, as having endured a relentless 'diet of fear, forced sex, and depravity' over many years.

During the trial, Kenyon was convicted of multiple charges, including grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding, making threats to kill, attempting to procure one of the girls for prostitution, and taking obscene photographs of her. The court also found him guilty of serious sexual assault and child cruelty, with these charges remaining on file due to their gravity.

The testimonies of the victims painted a horrifying picture of Kenyon’s abuse. The older girl, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, recounted how Kenyon had sexually assaulted her when she was just five or six years old. She also described how he twice impregnated the younger girl, first when she was only 12, after raping her, and then causing her to miscarry by hitting her in the stomach with a sledgehammer. The abuse extended to forcing the girls to perform perverted sex acts, branding them with a heated metal heart-shaped piece, and carving his initials into their skin with a hypodermic needle.

Further acts of cruelty included Kenyon holding a lighter flame to the older girl’s skin, pouring lighter fluid on her before setting her alight, and taking obscene photographs of her. He also forced her to have sex with another man. The older girl described initially believing that Kenyon’s behavior was 'normal' and later being too frightened to speak out. She detailed how he branded her with a heated metal heart and carved his initial 'G' into her skin with a needle.

Kenyon, who previously lived on Grayswood Crescent and Knowles Lane in Holme Wood, denied the allegations, claiming they were 'total and malicious lies' intended to discredit him. He insisted that any sexual contact with the girls occurred when they were in their mid-teens and was consensual. He also claimed that the obscene notes he wrote were part of a 'stupid fantasy game' dictated by his wife, and that the similarities to the allegations were mere coincidence.

During the trial, Kenyon’s defense argued that discrepancies existed in the victims’ stories and that he had only engaged in consensual sexual activity with his wife and a woman he met at a swingers’ club, apart from his marriage. He also stated that he traveled to Blackpool, where he was arrested after the allegations surfaced, under the mistaken belief that his wife was there and to avoid the 'poll tax,' not because of the police investigation.

Despite his claims, the jury, consisting of five men and seven women, believed the victims’ accounts. After deliberating for just over seven hours, they returned a verdict of 40 guilty counts. The judge, Alistair McCallum, sentenced Kenyon to 16 life terms, which are believed to be among the heaviest ever handed down in such cases. Additionally, he received a total of 109 years in prison for the other convictions. The judge ordered that Kenyon would not be eligible for parole for at least 16 years.

Kenyon’s wife, Carol Kenyon, aged 41 and residing in Scarborough, and his father-in-law, John William Crossley, aged 62 from Illingworth, were also convicted and sentenced for their involvement. Carol Kenyon admitted to cruelty to a child and gross indecency with a child, receiving a sentence of two and a half years. Crossley was sentenced to two years and nine months after admitting to one sexual offense and being found guilty of two additional charges. Both will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The trial concluded in February, but the details could only be publicly revealed after the completion of Kenyon’s trial for the attempted murder of Jean Maguire in Halifax five years prior. Recently, Kenyon was also found guilty of attempting to murder the Halifax woman. Judge Robert Taylor ordered that Kenyon serve a minimum of seven years in prison, to run consecutively with his previous sentences, emphasizing the seriousness of his crimes.

Glynn Kenyon’s case has left a lasting impact on the Halifax and Illingworth communities, highlighting the depths of depravity and the importance of justice for victims of such horrific abuse.