RAYMOND PAXTON FROM LITTLE HORTON JAILED FOR RAPE OF 14-YEAR-OLD BOY IN BRADFORD

In a case that has shocked the local community, Raymond Paxton, a 72-year-old man from Little Horton, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old boy. The incident took place in Bradford and has left a lasting impact on the victim and his family.

During the sentencing at Bradford Crown Court, Judge James Stewart emphasized the severity of Paxton’s actions, which involved abducting the young teenager from Bradford Interchange as he was returning home from school. Paxton then took the boy to his flat located at Brunel Gardens in Little Horton, where he subjected him to a brutal sexual assault. The court was told that Paxton’s Rottweiler dog was present during the attack, acting as a guard while the assault took place.

The jury, after deliberation, unanimously convicted Paxton of rape, while also finding him guilty of kidnapping by a majority of 10-1. The court heard how the teenager, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, was so traumatized by the ordeal that he attempted to take his own life. This tragic aftermath was linked to an incident approximately 18 months after the assault, when Paxton, who had been a frequent visitor to Bradford Interchange, winked at the boy as he drove past, causing further distress.

Details of Paxton’s persistent presence at the interchange emerged during the trial. Security staff had become increasingly concerned about his behavior, especially his loitering around the gents’ toilets. They even kept a log of him, referring to him as the “red Mazda man.” Despite these concerns, Paxton was not seen at the interchange in February 2003, when he spotted his young victim on his way home from school. He then forcibly grabbed the boy, bundled him into his car, and took him to his flat in Little Horton, where the assault occurred.

The court was shown a police interview tape in which the boy tearfully recounted the events. He described feeling as if he was going to die during the attack, believing that Paxton intended to kill him. The boy said, “At first I thought I was dead. I literally thought he was going to kill me. I honestly did think he was going to kill me once he had finished with me. I thought this is it. You hear about people getting abducted and killed and I just thought this was me.”

Judge Stewart ordered Paxton to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, highlighting the vulnerability of the young victim. The judge described the boy as a small, happy child, weighing just five stones, who was about to get on an escalator when Paxton grabbed him from behind. The court heard that Paxton then drove the boy to his flat and forcibly raped him before discarding him like “a piece of meat” on a street near Manchester Road.

Throughout the trial, Paxton denied the allegations, attempting to discredit the victim by claiming he was a rent boy who had offered himself for £10. However, the jury saw through these lies, and Judge Stewart expressed his belief that the evidence proved Paxton’s guilt. As a result, he was sentenced to nine years in prison on each of the charges, to run concurrently, marking a significant conviction for the community of Little Horton and Bradford as a whole.