York man with long criminal history convicted of rape

YORK MAN WITH LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY CONVICTED OF RAPE

Kristian John Franks was well-known to the police long before he was first accused of rape.

He has a long criminal history, starting with a conviction at age 13 for assaulting a police officer.

During his teenage years, he engaged in car-related offences, including dangerous driving and taking cars without permission.

He began using drugs and at 19 committed his first burglary, with a further conviction for house burglary at 21.

In 2016, he harassed a former partner and was subject to a restraining order, which he broke.

In 2019, he was involved in a road rage incident after tailgating another car and falsely claimed he could drive without insurance, leading to an eight-month jail sentence for perverting the course of justice.

Post-release, he continued law-breaking, including drug driving, theft-related offences, and skipping bail.

Following his acquittal in December 2023 for raping Leah Bedford, a 16-year-old, a sexual risk order was imposed on him to curb his activities.

In January 2025, police publicly sought help to find him, believing he breached the order.

In April 2025, he was charged with raping a woman hours after they met, and in May he ran from police but was later found and charged with escape from lawful custody.

After refusing to attend court, he was remanded in custody and admitted to escaping.

His trial for raping the woman started in September 2025, and he was convicted on September 18, with sentencing scheduled for October 30.