JOSEPH TURNER FROM RAWTENSTALL CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE SEXUAL OFFENSES IN BURNLEY
Joseph Turner, a 22-year-old man hailing from the town of Rawtenstall, has been found guilty of a series of heinous sexual crimes involving children and young girls.The conviction was handed down on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at Burnley Crown Court, where the court heard detailed accounts of Turner’s disturbing actions.
The charges against Turner encompass a wide range of serious offenses.
He was convicted of two counts of sexual assault on a child, as well as two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.
Additionally, he faced four counts of raping a female under the age of 16, and one count of raping an adult woman.
His criminal conduct also included two counts of intentional strangulation and a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.
The court proceedings revealed that Turner’s crimes predominantly took place in secluded areas, notably in the woods around Rawtenstall, where he lured his victims under false pretenses.
The first victim, a 14-year-old girl, was manipulated by Turner into believing they were in a romantic relationship.
During this period, Turner committed multiple offenses against her, including raping her while she was unconscious, sexually assaulting her, physically attacking her, strangling her with a belt, and threatening her with knives.
The victim was subjected to verbal abuse throughout the ordeal.
Turner also referred to her as his wife and even purchased her a ring, further entrenching his manipulative tactics.
The second victim, a 16-year-old girl, was also deceived by Turner, who lured her to his flat in Rawtenstall before raping her.
He further committed sexual assault on her at a cemetery, exploiting her trust and vulnerability.
In addition to these female victims, Turner targeted two young boys, both only nine years old.
He took them into the woods where he sexually assaulted them, demonstrating a disturbing pattern of predatory behavior.
Following a thorough investigation, Turner was arrested and charged with these numerous offenses.
He was remanded into custody and is scheduled to face a formal sentencing hearing on June 6, 2025.
The case has drawn significant attention from law enforcement and the community alike.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Hargreaves, a member of the East Child Sexual Exploitation Team, issued a statement emphasizing the danger Turner poses: “Turner is a dangerous individual who poses a risk to children due to his perverted sexual interests and warped sense of entitlement.
I welcome these verdicts which came out of the bravery of the victims who came forward and testified about their experiences.
I want to thank the investigation team, including DCs Jenny Berry, Alex Biggs, and Liam Morris, for their diligent work.” Following the court’s verdict, Lancashire Constabulary has urged victims of sexual offenses to come forward, either through online reporting channels or by contacting emergency services.
Authorities remain committed to protecting vulnerable individuals and ensuring that offenders like Turner are held accountable for their actions.
UPDATE 07/08/2025 A "dangerous" sexual predator who lured young children to the woods before subjecting them to sick abuse has been jailed.
Joseph Turner, 23, targeted two girls and two boys in Rossendale.
Detectives say his "abhorrent offending" predominantly took place after he lured his victims to woodland in Rawtenstall.
The first victim was 14 and Turner was 20 when he groomed her into thinking they were in a relationship.
During that period, he raped her while she as unconscious, sexually assaulted her, physically assaulted her, strangled her with a belt, threatened her with knives and was verbally abusive towards her.
Lancashire Police said he would "call her his wife and even got her a ring".
The second victim was 16 when Turner lured her to his flat in Rawtenstall before going on to rape her.
The two male victims were just nine years old when Turner took them to the woods before sexually assaulting them.
Turner, of Linden Lea, Rawtenstall, was arrested and later charged with a number of offences.
Following a trial at Burnley Crown Court, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault on a child; two counts of sexual activity with a child; four counts of raping a female under the age of 16; one rape of a female over 16; two counts of intentional strangulation and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was also placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for life and made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order which limits his access to children.
'At first I was worried sick, then it went into numbness.
It was horrible.' Some of the victims did not feel able to make impact statements to the court, but the mother of one of the female victims did.
In her statement she wrote: "At first I was worried sick, then it went into numbness.
It was horrible.
I can’t put into words how I felt.
"As the victim’s mum I felt powerless and frustrated, feeling that I had not been able to protect her from what he had done to her and at the time of his arrest in April 2023 she would not speak to me or the police about the extent of the abuse which she had endured whilst involved with him.
It took my daughter a period of time after to pluck up the courage and start to feel safe enough that she could speak out and this led to her providing detail around the sexual and physical abuse in August 2023.
"It was knowing that Joseph remained inside in prison on remand until his court date for child abduction that then gave her the time and space.
My daughter felt safe, she was more relaxed and away from his emotional blackmail.
"He was no longer able to be present around her physically or by call.
My daughter’s eating, her being prevented from having friends, self-harming and suicidal thoughts were all things that were present when Joseph had his hold and control over her and were present for a period of time.
"I did find it hard to see what he had to her but in time my daughter started to look towards the future and little by little things began to get better slowly.
My daughter had time to reflect and try and understand what was happening and realise that it was not normal." She continued: "I am relieved at the outcome and that everyone now knows what he has done, that he is an abuser and a predator.
My daughter has always said that one of the reasons she spoke out was to prevent it from happening to anyone else.
"We finally have our lives back and our home.
As a mother learning of the extent of abuse my daughter endured while involved with Joseph Turner is heartbreaking, but to finally see her happy again and looking forward to the future is amazing and I am so proud of her and all of his victims for having the courage to speak out and stop him harming anyone else or having to secretly carry around what he did to them.
"I feel like we have the power and control back and I have my daughter back."
