KEVIN MOLONEY AND SHOCKING RAPE IN YORKSHIRE
For more than a quarter of a century, Kevin Moloney, a man accused of committing a heinous sexual assault, managed to evade justice in Yorkshire.It was only through persistent investigation and the uncovering of critical evidence by a dedicated journalist that his long-standing case finally reached its conclusion.
The story begins with Moloney, a 44-year-old financial adviser at the time of his arrest, who was previously tried last year for the alleged rape of a woman aged 69 in her Yorkshire home back in 1985.
Moloney had been detained after new DNA analysis linked him to the cold case, offering a fresh lead in a case that had gone cold for decades.
Despite this, during his initial trial, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and the suspect walked free, leaving the case unresolved.
The victim, who passed away nine years prior, had accused Moloney of breaking into her residence and assaulting her.
The accused, then only 19 years old and divorced with two children, claimed that the encounter was consensual, asserting that the elderly woman agreed to sex after sharing drinks.
However, the breakthrough came from the investigative work of Nicky Harley, a reporter working with the Hull Daily Mail.
Through diligent research, Miss Harley uncovered evidence that had previously been overlooked or lost.
She discovered that Humberside Police had lost crucial crime scene photographs, which could have corroborated the victim’s account.
In her pursuit of the truth, she tracked down a retired superintendent involved in the original investigation.
To her surprise, he revealed that he had kept copies of key photographs from the scene.
Among the recovered images was one showing the smashed rear door of the victim’s home, which aligned with her testimony about forced entry.
Conversely, Moloney’s version—that the elderly woman had consented afterward and the encounter took place on her sofa—was undermined by photographs showing piled-up newspapers and rubbish on the sofa, suggesting that the victim’s claim of being raped in the hallway was more credible.
These details supported her description of the attack, reinforcing her story.
The case was slated for a retrial at Hull Crown Court, but faced with the emerging new evidence, Moloney elected to plead guilty instead of continuing to fight the charges.
As a result, he was sentenced to four years in prison for his crime.
The case also garnered recognition for Miss Harley, who was awarded the High Sheriff’s Award in acknowledgment of her pivotal role in solving the case.
Judge Michael Mettyear praised her diligent work, expressing confidence that her efforts in discovering the new evidence were instrumental in bringing the suspect to justice.
The judge noted, “He knew he had nowhere else to turn,” emphasizing that her persistence made a crucial difference.
In his comments, Judge Mettyear also clarified that the police investigations were not at fault; the officers involved simply did not have access to the evidence the journalist uncovered.
Mrs Harley, a 32-year-old mother of two, was present in court and was visibly emotional upon receiving the award.
Later speaking about her work, she expressed her satisfaction: “Every journalist hopes to make a difference in the work they do, and I am pleased I was able to do that.” In an interview following her discovery of the photographs, Miss Harley explained how she learned about the retired detective superintendent, Barry Lilley, with whom she arranged to speak for a background piece on the case.
During their conversation, she mentioned the missing photographs, and Mr.
Lilley revealed that he kept copies himself.
He then checked his loft and found the photographs, which he confirmed were authentic.
Mr.
Lilley stated that he routinely preserved his own copies of crime scene images, and that these photographs had now become vital to the case.
The case’s resolution was further bolstered by DNA evidence.
Moloney, who had gone on to marry and start a family after initially avoiding justice as a teenager, was finally identified when DNA collected during a minor cannabis possession in 2009 matched the genetic material from the 1985 rape scene, thanks to a review team dedicated to cold cases.
The lead investigator from Humberside, Detective Superintendent Dena Fleming, expressed regret that the victim did not live to see her attacker brought to justice, calling it a “tragedy.” She added, “Her family will hopefully take some comfort from the fact that justice has finally been done.
My sympathy and that of my team go out to them.” While her team continues to pursue other unresolved sexual assault cases, the explicit mention of the role played by the journalist in cracking this particular case was notably absent from her official statement, highlighting the significant contribution of investigative journalism in delivering justice.
