YORK CROWN COURT JAILS MAN FOR THREATENING TO RAPE WOMAN AND SENDING SEXUALISED MESSAGES
A North Yorkshire man who threatened to rape a woman has been jailed.Josh McCrory had messaged the victim asking for explicit images and “sexual services” then became aggressive when she declined, said Brooke Morrison, prosecuting.
Judge Alex Menary said the 23-year-old “pester[ed]” the victim and threatened her in the “most chilling way”.
Ms Morrison said McCrory continued to message the victim, even after she had blocked his online account.
He later sent the victim a photograph of a street near her home, the court heard.
After sending the photograph of the street, Ms Morrison said McCrory told the victim he would come and have sex with her and rape her if she did not consent.
Police arrested McCrory and, after seizing his phone, found he had attempted to delete an online account the day before his arrest, Ms Morrison said.
McCrory appeared in the dock at York Crown Court wearing a black beanie and navy shirt on Tuesday (June 10).
He had previously pleaded guilty to sending an online message of an indecent or grossly offensive nature for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to the recipient.
Judge Menary jailed McCrory, of Throxenby Lane in Newby near Scarborough, for one year and said he must serve half of the sentence before he is eligible for release.
He also imposed a 10-year restraining order prohibiting McCrory from contacting the victim.
The judge said there were more than 100 pages of “persistent, unpleasant, sexualised” messages.
He added that McCrory’s threats had led to the victim suffering panic attacks, to the point “she felt compelled to go to the police”.
Jordan Millican, defending, said: “This is an unpleasant and ugly offending.” He said the case showed the “very ugly side” of “extreme loneliness”.
Mr Millican said McCrory’s isolation was exacerbated by the “cocktail” of cannabis and alcohol that he was consuming at the time of the offences.
He said McCrory, who has no previous convictions, had “accepted what he did was wrong” and apologised to the court on his behalf.
“If he had the opportunity to say how sorry he was, he would,” the defence barrister said.
Mr Millican said McCrory’s mother had left home when he was young which had led to a difficult upbringing, but he now had a supportive family.
He said McCrory had stopped using alcohol and cannabis and was seeing a psychologist.
He had also started taking anti-depressants, the defence barrister said.
