STEPHEN WILLIAMS SENTENCED TO 24 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEX OFFENCES IN GRIMSBY

In a significant case that has shocked the community of Grimsby, a man named Stephen Williams, aged 60, from Ladysmith Road, was found guilty of multiple serious sexual offences involving young girls. The trial, which concluded at Grimsby Crown Court on Thursday, 18 July, resulted in Williams receiving a substantial prison sentence of 24 years.

Williams was arrested earlier that year, on 8 January 2013, after police investigations uncovered his involvement in a series of heinous crimes. He faced a total of 15 charges, including seven counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl under the age of 13, one count of sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15, three counts of rape of a girl under 13, and four counts of raping a girl aged 13, 14, or 15. The gravity of these allegations underscored the severity of his crimes and the impact on the victims involved.

During the sentencing hearing, Williams' defense lawyer, Simon Hirst, requested that the court consider his client's age and the fact that this was his first custodial sentence. Despite these pleas, Recorder Anton Lodge QC did not show leniency. The judge described Williams as a