MICHAEL OWENS SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN WIDNES: HORRIFIC ABUSE OF YOUNG GIRL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Widnes, Michael Owens, a 29-year-old man from Melville Close, has been sentenced to nine and a half years in prison after being convicted of raping a young girl. The crime came to light in June of the previous year when the victim, a girl under the age of 10, confided in a friend about the abuse she had endured.

According to court reports, Owens only changed his plea to guilty on the very day his trial was scheduled to commence. This late admission of guilt resulted in the judge, Thomas Teague, expressing limited leniency, stating, “I can only give you limited credit because your guilty plea was so late. You did save your victim from the ordeal of recounting her ordeal.”

Owens not only admitted to the primary charge of rape but also confessed to five additional counts involving various forms of sexual assault against the same young girl. The prosecuting attorney, Simon Medland QC, explained that the offences were uncovered after the girl confided in a friend on June 10 of the previous year. The friend’s mother then approached the girl privately, leading to the revelation of the abuse.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Owens’s criminal acts spanned over a period of approximately eight weeks. The young victim was described as anxious and hesitant to speak initially, but she eventually wrote down some of the details of the abuse, which included being raped twice and subjected to other sexual acts on between seven and ten occasions. The court heard that Owens was intoxicated during these incidents, which contributed to the disturbing nature of the crimes.

In his defense, Jason Smith QC presented a letter from Owens’s father, emphasizing that his client was a man without prior convictions and expressing remorse for his actions. Smith argued that Owens’s late plea was due to his difficulty in confronting the reality of what he had done, stating, “He is a man without any convictions. He has genuinely expressed his remorse. He pleaded guilty late because he found it difficult to face up to what had taken place. He was courageous and spared the young girl giving evidence.”

Additional context revealed that Owens struggled with alcohol dependency and depression, having previously attempted to take his own life. As part of his sentence, Owens will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life and is prohibited from working with children or vulnerable adults, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the community’s need for protection.