DEWSBURY PREDATOR LESLIE HOUSECROFT WHO RAPED WOMAN AND BOYS AS YOUNG AS FOUR JAILED
A dangerous predator who repeatedly raped two boys and also raped a woman has been handed a 27-year extended sentence.Leslie Housecroft also repeatedly sexually abused a young girl and sexually assaulted a second woman.
The offences took place between the 1990s and 2016.
Leeds Crown Court heard that one of the boys was as young as four or five years old when Housecroft first raped him.
After a two-week trial in March this year, the 73-year-old was found guilty of six counts of rape of a child, one count of indecent assault, one count of indecency with a child, one count of sexual assault of a child, one count of rape of a woman, and four counts of sexual assault of a woman.
Today (Thursday), he was told he must serve two-thirds of a 26-year custodial period followed by an extended licence period of one year.
One of the adult victims, who had been sexually abused by someone else as a child, described suffering from mental health issues including psychosis and agoraphobia as a consequence of her past abuse.
She expressed hope that she can now move on with her life after justice was served.
Housecroft, who most recently lived in a flat in Wellington Road, Dewsbury, appeared in court via a video link from jail for sentencing.
During the hearing, he maintained his innocence, saying, 'Not guilty.' The judge advised him to be quiet as the jury had already found him guilty.
He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
Acting Det Sgt Yvonne Brear of Kirklees District Safeguarding Unit, leading the investigation, stated: 'Leslie Housecroft is without doubt a dangerous serial sexual predator who committed some of the most serious sexual offences against victims over a three-decade period.
Rather than admit his guilt, he chose to put those victims through the ordeal of a trial and we welcome the strong sentence imposed today.
I wish to commend the bravery of those victims who came forward and supported both the police investigation and the prosecution to ensure this man was taken out of our communities.
We are committed to achieving justice for victims of sexual offending, no matter when those offences took place, and can promise their needs are at the heart of every investigation.'
