RONALD SHERLOCK: LEICESTER CHILD SEX OFFENDER DIES AT HMP NORWICH AFTER LIFETIME OF CRIMES
In a tragic end to a long and disturbing criminal career, Ronald Sherlock, a man once considered a seemingly ordinary family man from Leicester, passed away at HMP Norwich on April 24 due to natural causes.Sherlock, who was serving a life sentence for heinous crimes committed over several years, died in custody after a lifetime marked by predatory behavior and multiple convictions.
His criminal activities spanned across various parts of the country, revealing a disturbing pattern of child exploitation and abuse.
Sherlock, aged 59 at the time of his death, was a director of a light engineering company in Leicester, a role that masked his true nature as a child sex attacker.
His offenses included a series of brutal assaults on young girls, some as young as three years old, which led to his being sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, along with additional terms totaling 84 years.
The court heard that Sherlock was a prolific offender, with crimes stretching across Leicester, Stockport, Rochdale, Sheffield, Cardiff, Reading, Huddersfield, and Lincolnshire.
Among his most notorious acts was an incident in Skegness, where he lured an eight-year-old girl into his vehicle and drove her 12 miles to a secluded area with the intent to rape her.
The young girl managed to walk nine miles back towards Skegness before being found, clutching a dandelion she had picked for her pet rabbits, a poignant detail highlighted by prosecutor Mr.
Christopher Pitchers.
Sherlock pleaded guilty to six charges of rape, which included offenses against two young girls aged five and three.
His criminal record also contained charges of attempted rape, buggery, indecent assault, and taking children away by fraud.
His manipulative tactics often involved impersonating a police officer, a ruse he used to lure children into his vehicle, including a case in Huddersfield where a woman, Mrs.
Shaw, observed his car and took note of the registration number.
Her quick thinking led to a police investigation that uncovered Sherlock’s pattern of predatory behavior.
The court revealed that Sherlock’s crimes included a particularly disturbing incident in October 1977, when he abducted a five-year-old girl after her grandmother left her just 50 yards from her home.
Sherlock held the child for nearly two hours, during which he raped and abused her.
The young girl continues to receive psychiatric treatment for the trauma.
Less than two weeks later, he enticed a four-year-old girl in Reading and abandoned her in Oxford after giving her a small amount of money.
In April 1978, he found a three-year-old girl in Rochdale and drove her to a motorway service area where he raped her.
His use of violence and false pretenses to gain the trust of his victims was a hallmark of his offending.
Sherlock frequently claimed to be a police officer, exploiting the innocence of young children who believed him.
His manipulative tactics and violent methods ensured compliance, making his crimes particularly heinous.
In January of this year, Sherlock was involved in another disturbing incident in Huddersfield.
He picked up a girl, but it was Mrs.
Shaw, a 64-year-old resident, who noticed his car and recorded the registration number.
Her vigilance was instrumental in the police investigation, which linked Sherlock to multiple offenses.
During the investigation, police also identified Sherlock among owners of Rover cars in Leicester, and a relative confirmed his whereabouts on the day he abducted another child.
For her quick and brave action, Mr.
Justice Lawson ordered that Mrs.
Shaw be awarded £50 in recognition of her public-spiritedness.
Speaking from her home, Mrs.
Shaw described herself as “a bit of a noseyparker,” and recounted her instinctive suspicion that something was wrong.
She explained, “I suddenly had this terrible feeling that something might be wrong.
I thought of running out to speak to him but realised he might have then driven out of sight.
Instead, I ran to the window, grabbed a pencil and paper and took his number just as he was disappearing.” Later, a policewoman visited Mrs.
Shaw to gather further details, and she proudly shared the note she had written.
Her quick thinking and vigilance played a crucial role in the police’s efforts to track down Sherlock and prevent further harm.
Despite his death, the legacy of his crimes remains a stark reminder of the importance of community awareness and vigilance in protecting vulnerable children.
