PHILIP SPRIGGS FROM ARNESBY, NEAR LUTTERWORTH, SENTENCED FOR HISTORIC SEX OFFENCES IN LEICESTER

In March 2010, Philip Spriggs, a man from Robert Hall Street, Arnesby, near Lutterworth, was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of serious sexual offences committed nearly three decades earlier. The court found him guilty of raping a young girl and sexually abusing her between 1982 and 1985, despite his denials of the charges.

Spriggs, aged 56 at the time, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life. During the sentencing at Lincoln Crown Court, Judge Ebrahim Mooncey remarked to Spriggs that the offences had caused lasting trauma to the victim, who was only seven years old when the abuse began. He stated, “It is a sad case. Her personality has been affected by what you did to her. She ended up with alcohol problems. She has had to receive counselling. She feels she has been robbed of her childhood.”

The case came to light years later when the victim reported the offences to police after her memories were triggered. Throughout the trial, Spriggs maintained his innocence, denying all charges.

The court heard that Spriggs had a criminal history mainly involving burglary and dishonesty, dating back to 1965 when he was just 12. However, he had no previous convictions related to sexual offences. His lawyer, Miss Sally Bamford, emphasized Spriggs’s denial of guilt, saying, “He has nothing of this magnitude on his record.”