July 2000 Businessman jailed for sex attacks on young girls A businessman who carried out a string of ‘foul and loathsome’ sex attacks on young girls has been jailed for 11 years.  Sentencing Stuart Lees (43) at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hodson told him he had threatened his victims and not spared them from the ordeal of giving evidence in court.  Lees, of Malthouses, Great Saredon, near Cannock, Staffordshire, who had a construction business was found guilty of rape and four charges of indecent assault at the end of his trial.  The prosecution contended that the offences related to several individuals, all under the age of 18, and dated back to the 1980s and 1990s. The jury found him not guilty on another rape charge and failed to reach a verdict on a further similar charge after retiring to consider the evidence for more than 14 hours.  That charge was ordered to lie on the file by the judge.  The judge ruled that Lees, who had a construction business, should not be considered for parole until he had served at least half the 11-year sentence.  Lees was convicted by a unanimous verdict on one of the indecent assaults and by majority verdicts on the other three charges.  Mr Michael Pert, defending, said Lees had instructed him to say nothing in mitigation.