Nottinghamshire rapist Andrew Woodhouse sentenced to life in prison

A "sexual predator" who raped two women and subjected three other victims to a "catalogue of horrific abuse" has been given a life sentence. Nottinghamshire Police reported that Andrew Woodhouse's crimes— which included blackmail, sexual assault, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity— spanned a period of 20 years. The 48-year-old denied most of the allegations, but a jury found him guilty of four rapes and other offenses after a trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, with a minimum term of 18 years and 329 days.Jurors found Woodhouse, formerly of Long Eaton, Derbyshire, guilty of four rapes, indecent assault, three counts of controlling or coercive behavior, and two counts of assaulting a girl by touching. He was also convicted of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and two counts of causing a child to watch images of sexual activity. Additionally, Woodhouse had previously admitted to four counts of blackmail and one count of possession of extreme pornography.Nottinghamshire Police stated that Woodhouse was arrested in October 2020 following a report from a woman who said she was raped by him multiple times in 2019. The victim also reported that Woodhouse became "fixated with an older woman," bombarding her with thousands of highly inappropriate sexual messages over several years. When she ignored him, he superimposed her face onto nude images and threatened to share them publicly. During the investigation, detectives uncovered a second rape victim and another individual who reported being subjected to controlling and coercive behavior between 2020 and 2021. It was also revealed that Woodhouse groomed a young girl before sexually abusing her and promising her treats if she complied.Detectives found extreme pornography, including videos of bestiality, on his phone after it was seized. Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Stacey Lamb paid tribute to the victims, stating, "The evidence they provided was absolutely crucial to the success of the prosecution and I would like to pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and bravery throughout the investigation. Their courage has prevented others from being harmed further, and although his actions will always remain with them, I do hope this sentence can bring them a sense of closure."