JULIAN RIDGEWAY NETHERTON HORSE SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN WEST YORKSHIRE

In a case that has shocked the community of Netherton and the wider West Yorkshire region, Julian Ridgeway, aged 54, has been sentenced to a decade behind bars after being convicted of heinous acts involving a horse on a local farm. The court proceedings revealed disturbing details about Ridgeway’s criminal history and his ongoing deviant behavior, which has spanned over two decades.

Ridgeway’s latest conviction stems from an incident in May of the previous year, when a couple, concerned about their 13-year-old mare named Honey, discovered suspicious activity on their farm in Netherton. The couple had taken refuge in a barn, observing Ridgeway leading the horse into a pen before confronting him. Ridgeway, upon being challenged, fled the scene but was later apprehended by police. The arrest was facilitated by DNA evidence recovered from Honey, which matched Ridgeway’s genetic profile, confirming his involvement.

During the trial at Leeds Crown Court in December, Ridgeway was found guilty of engaging in sexual acts with the animal and trespassing with the intent to commit a sexual offence. The court heard that Ridgeway’s history is marred by previous violent and sexual offenses, including a 1990 attempt to murder a 16-year-old girl who had caught him in a compromising situation with her pony. In that incident, Ridgeway had tried to choke the girl unconscious to prevent her from revealing his actions. The victim testified that she found Ridgeway, then 28, in a field off Denby Dale Road, Wakefield, with no trousers or underpants, washing her pony’s backside from a bucket.

Further investigations uncovered a disturbing tape recorded in 2011, titled ‘We Thought It Would Be Good,’ which featured an unidentified man engaging in sexual acts with a horse. This evidence underscored Ridgeway’s long-standing deviant interests. The court also reviewed a 1991 trial where Ridgeway was convicted of attempted murder after twice choking a teenager who had discovered him in a similar compromising situation involving her mare Ripple. The judge at that time, Mr. Justice Jowett, described Ridgeway’s actions as “disgusting” and emphasized the danger he posed to both humans and animals.

At today’s sentencing, Recorder Paul Greaney, QC, expressed grave concerns about Ridgeway’s ongoing risk to the public and animals. He stated, “I am quite satisfied that you have a deep-seated sexual interest in horses and ponies that you struggle to control, and which you were unable to control in 1990 and 2016. There is a very high risk that you will seek to have sex with a horse or pony again in the future. You are likely to engage in serious violence against any person who finds you.”

He further indicated that Ridgeway’s deviant behavior shows no signs of remorse or insight, describing the case as among the most serious involving sexual acts with animals. The court ordered Ridgeway to serve four years in prison, followed by an extended license period of six years, and mandated that he be registered as a sex offender for life. The court’s decision underscores the severity of his crimes and the ongoing threat he poses to society and animals alike.