DINNINGTON RAPIST LEE CRUTCHLEY SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON IN SHEFFIELD

In July 2014, Lee Crutchley, a man from Dinnington, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of multiple sexual offences involving schoolgirls. The jury at Sheffield Crown Court found Crutchley guilty of two counts of rape, two charges of assault by penetration on a vulnerable girl, seven counts of indecent assault, and one charge of buggery. Recorder Brian Cox QC stated that Crutchley displayed 'no remorse whatsoever' towards his victims, all of whom were under 16 at the time of the abuse.

Recorder Cox remarked, ‘Your offences reveal you are attracted to and are a danger to girls of age 13, 14, 15.’ He explained that one of the victims, who had a relationship with Crutchley when she was 14 and he was in his mid-20s, said her life had been ‘ruined’ by the abuse.

Crutchley’s most severe crimes were against his most recent victim in 2012, when she was 12 or 13 years old, and he raped and abused her. Mr. Cox highlighted that by that point, Crutchley already had a history of abusing young girls and believed he could exploit a girl with particular vulnerabilities.

Crutchley, of Victoria Street, Dinnington, Rotherham, faced a total of 16 offences alleged to have taken place between November 1990 and June 2012. He was found not guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and two additional counts of indecent assault.

Before his trial, Crutchley pleaded guilty to producing cannabis worth thousands of pounds at his residence. He was also accused of sexually assaulting a girl’s mother 22 years earlier but was acquitted of those charges.

Following the sentencing, DC Dave Wilson from South Yorkshire Police commented, ‘For more than 20 years, Lee Crutchley has preyed on schoolgirls taking advantage of their young age and innocence. He is now in prison, and that is where he rightly belongs.’