MICHAEL BILLUPS SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN EAST RIDING, LEEDS
A man who subjected a schoolgirl from the East Riding to severe sexual abuse has been sentenced to prison.Michael Billups, aged 52 and employed by a major television company, abused the young girl over a two-month period.
The offenses began when he unzipped her onesie to touch her and escalated to multiple rapes, which continued for two to three months until the girl confided in her mother.
Prosecution lawyer Claire Holmes explained, "He would unzip her onesie to touch her.
She said that it had progressed to the defendant raping her numerous times and this lasted for two or three months until she told her mum." The abuse occurred around 2011 but was only uncovered years later when the girl shared her experience with her boyfriend.
An educational welfare officer reported the abuse, leading to Billups's arrest in September 2018.
During questioning, he admitted to the rapes, saying, "I accept the offence of rape and sexual allegations against me.
I am truly remorseful and sorry for what occurred.
I have been living with this for six years and want to get this matter resolved.
I believe I need help for what happened and I can't say why I did it.
I’m truly sorry and wish I hadn’t done what I did every day." Shockingly, Billups also claimed at one point that "the girl wanted it...
and enjoyed it." Residing at Lilac Oval, Leeds, Billups had a history of engaging in activities such as upskirting and soliciting prostitutes before the abuse.
It was disclosed during Wednesday’s sentencing at Hull Crown Court that he had previously used a camera to record a woman’s genitals on an escalator and had taken upskirt photos of another young woman in Pocklington.
He was subject to an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) that barred him from using any camera-equipped mobile phones.
In 2009, police found him in Leeds’s Red Light District asking a prostitute to photograph her genitals in exchange for money.
The victim later told her friend that Billups had taken nude photographs of her, though she did not disclose the abuse until last year, when she and her boyfriend took an online quiz.
Miss Holmes stated, "There was a mention of rape within that quiz and she went silent and began to cry.
She confirmed she had been raped and her boyfriend was shocked and asked if it was true.
She said yes, but was so upset she couldn’t give more details." The girl then revealed that Billups had warned her against seeking medical help years earlier, indicating he feared she might disclose the abuse.
During court proceedings, Billups wept as details of the trauma emerged.
The girl experiences anxiety and told doctors she had considered suicide.
Her mother expressed profound sorrow, saying, "It made me feel upset and angry and it made me overprotective and cautious.
I used to dread pushing open her bedroom door and I feel remorseful towards the whole situation.
This is something my daughter will always have to deal with, and it’s through no fault of her own." Defense lawyer Gordon Stables acknowledged his client’s guilt, stating, "He has not beaten around the bush.
He has admitted it and he admits that for those two or three months he committed the most horrible criminal offences.
He is utterly ashamed and full of remorse." Billups pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one additional charge of assault against a child.
Judge Mark Bury described his crimes as "gross" and sentenced him to ten years in prison, accompanied by a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or her family.
Additionally, he will be on the sex offenders register for life and serve an extra year on extended licence.
Detective Constable Becky McInnis from Humberside Police commented, "Investigations of this nature are always difficult and I welcome today’s sentencing.
I hope that this offers reassurance that we will always work to protect vulnerable people, taking action against those who offend against them.
Where victims cannot participate directly in the prosecution, we will pursue justice without their involvement."
