December 2014 Disgraced paedophile journalist has ‘unduly lenient’ rape jail sentence increased A DISGRACED journalist jailed for rape has had his sentence increased after it was deemed unduly lenient. Ben Leapman, formerly of High Street, Eynsford, subjected a woman to up to six rapes after visits to internet chat forums led him to become infatuated with violent sex. The 44-year-old father-of-three, who helped expose the MPs’ expenses scandal, was convicted of rape and in September was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. The case was subsequently referred to the court of appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme by the solicitor general, Robert Buckland QC MP. On Thursday, the former Sunday Times journalist had his sentence extended by three years to a total of ten years. Last August, he received a nine month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after being charged with publishing obscene articles and possessing indecent images of children. September 2014 Expenses scandal journalist Ben Leapman jailed for rape A former deputy news editor of the Sunday Telegraph has been jailed for seven years for raping a woman. Ben Leapman, formerly of High Street, Eynsford, in Kent, was found guilty of one rape and cleared of two others in a trial at Maidstone Crown Court. The 44-year-old, who had denied the charges, was also made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order. In 2009, the award-winning journalist helped to expose the scandal of MPs fiddling their expenses. The expenses scandal revealed widespread misuse of the permitted allowances claimed by MPs and led to public outrage and a loss of confidence in politics. It resulted in resignations, sackings, de-selections and retirement announcements, together with public apologies and the repayment of expenses. Several members or former members of the House of Commons and House of Lords were jailed. Father-of-three Leapman had previously been spared an immediate jail term for a series of online child abuse offences. In August last year, he pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images of children and four counts of publishing obscene articles. The obscene articles found on his laptop related to explicit chatlogs he engaged in online on a one-to-one basis, Maidstone Crown Court heard at the time. He received a nine-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, for the online offences, which took place between July 2008 and November 2012. Kent Police said that following further investigation, the woman came forward to reveal she had been raped by Leapman. The rape happened between 1 July and 28 November 2012 July 2014 Disgraced ex-Sunday Telegraph journalist formerly of Eynsford behind bars after rape conviction An award-winning journalist who downloaded child sex abuse images and indulged in sordid chat room conversations is behind bars after today being convicted of raping a woman  A judge told Ben Leapman, who helped to expose the scandal of MPs fiddling their expenses: “You caused her humiliation, degradation, distress, pain, loss of her dignity and loss of her self-worth and self-esteem. “You became obsessed with violence and sexual abuse of women. There was clear evidence from chat logs of your depraved behaviour. At one stage you said it had become completely out of control. The 43-year-old former deputy news editor of the Sunday Telegraph was convicted of one specimen rape charge by an 11-1 majority and acquitted of two others. Cambridge-educated Leapman, formerly of High Street, Eynsford, near Dartford, denied all three charges. Judge Martin Joy adjourned sentence at Maidstone Crown Court for reports to assess dangerousness until a date to be arranged in September. The judge lifted a Contempt of Court order  It had banned reporting until after the rape case of Leapman’s convictions in August last year for four offences of making indecent photos of a child and four of publishing an obscene article. He was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment – suspended for 12 months – with supervision and was ordered to complete an internet sex offender course His lawyer had submitted Leapman “single-handedly uncovering the scandal that hit Westminster” and “rocked the country” took its toll on him and he sought “pressure release” by getting involved in a fantasy world.  Charles Danniells-Smith, defending, added that Leapman, now of Aldebert Terrace, South Lambeth, south London, had lost everything, including his glittering career. Following his conviction for rape, Judge Joy said of the victim, who cannot be identified: “There was complete destruction of her dignity. She was humiliated. That is the evidence she gave. “I am satisfied there is clear evidence of severe psychological and clinical harm. Effectively, this is a man who has got a dangerous fixation who otherwise has many qualities to be admired. “He is a distinguished person of good character. That character has, of course, been completely destroyed. His QC Joanne Greenberg applied for bail until sentence despite conceding loss of liberty was inevitable. But remanding Leapman in custody, Judge Joy told him: “You have been convicted on compelling evidence. It seems very obvious to me that you are a danger.” The judge said Leapman’s obsession with a unnatural form of sex was “a very worrying factor” and added: “You are in reality a person with a very high and dangerous sex drive.”