BEN LEAPMAN OF EYNFORD, KENT, SENTENCED INCREASED FOR RAPE AFTER PREVIOUS CHILD ABUSE CONVICTIONS

In December 2014, Ben Leapman, a former journalist from High Street, Eynsford, Kent, saw his prison sentence for rape increased after it was deemed unduly lenient. Leapman, aged 44 and a father of three, was convicted of raping a woman on multiple occasions—up to six times—following a pattern of visits to internet chat forums that fostered his obsession with violent sexual acts. The court initially sentenced him to seven years in September 2014, but the solicitor general, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred the case to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, resulting in Leapman’s sentence being extended by three years to a total of ten years.

Previously, in August 2014, Leapman received a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months after admitting to online child abuse offences, including the possession of indecent images of children and publishing obscene articles. The obscene content was linked to explicit online chat logs Leapman engaged in on a one-to-one basis.

The 44-year-old journalist, known for his role in exposing the MPs’ expenses scandal in 2009—a scandal that uncovered widespread misuse of allowances by Members of Parliament, leading to resignations, sackings, and public apologies—had been previously spared immediate jail time for his online child abuse offences.

The offences included four counts of making indecent images of children and four counts of publishing obscene articles, which were found on his laptop and related to explicit chat discussions from July 2008 to November 2012. Following these offences, Kent Police’s investigation revealed the woman later came forward to report that Leapman had raped her between 1 July and 28 November 2012.

In July 2014, a judge expressed strong condemnation at Leapman’s conduct, stating, “You caused her humiliation, degradation, distress, pain, loss of her dignity and self-worth. You became obsessed with violence and sexual abuse of women. There was clear evidence from chat logs of your depraved behaviour.” The court convicted Leapman of one rape charge by an 11-1 majority and acquitted him of two others, with the judge impressing the seriousness of the harms inflicted.

During sentencing deliberations, Judge Martin Joy noted that Leapman, who was educated at Cambridge and formerly worked as deputy news editor for the Sunday Telegraph, had lost everything including his career. His legal representative argued that the immense pressure from uncovering Westminster’s scandal led Leapman to seek escape through a fantasy world. The judge emphasized the irreversible damage done to the victim’s dignity, expressing that Leapman’s character had been fundamentally destroyed but also acknowledged his previous good qualities.

Leapman, now of Aldebert Terrace, South Lambeth, was remanded in custody after the conviction, with Judge Joy describing him as a dangerous individual with a high and dangerous sex drive, particularly fixated on unnatural sexual acts. The judge expressed concern about Leapman’s obsession and indicated that he posed a significant risk to the public. Despite pleas for bail, Leapman was kept in custody pending sentencing, with the judge concluding, “You have been convicted on compelling evidence. It seems very obvious to me that you are a danger.”