WAYNE ASHTON FROM BURNLEY SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS FOR HORRIFIC SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST CHILDREN

In a case that has shocked the community of Burnley, a local man named Wayne Ashton has been sentenced to a total of eleven years and six months in prison for a series of heinous sexual crimes committed against two young girls. The sentencing took place at Burnley Crown Court, where Ashton, aged 23, appeared before the judge following his conviction on multiple counts of sexual assault and rape.

Ashton was found guilty on October 20th after a week-long trial that revealed a disturbing pattern of abuse. The court heard that he repeatedly raped one of the girls and also sexually assaulted her friend, actions that have left deep scars on the victims. The charges included two counts of raping a child under the age of 13, one count of rape, one count of sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child, and an additional count of assaulting a child under 13 by penetration.

The court detailed the timeline of the offenses, which spanned several years. Ashton, who resides in Burnley but does not have a fixed address, was sentenced to ten years for the rape of a girl under 13 committed between May and October 2004. Concurrently, he received a two-year sentence for sexual assault of a girl under 13, which occurred between October 2004 and October 2005. Further, he was sentenced to ten years concurrently for raping another girl under 13 between January and September 2007. Additional sentences of three years each were handed down for sexual activity with a child, with these sentences running concurrently, and a further ten-year sentence for a rape committed in July 2008.

In a separate but related charge, Ashton was sentenced to an additional 18 months, to be served consecutively, for assaulting another child under 13 by penetration. The court was told that the first victim later confided in police, expressing feelings of being utterly destroyed by the abuse and suffering from a loss of confidence and self-esteem. The case revealed that Ashton’s background was troubled, with the court hearing that he came from a dysfunctional family environment. Despite the severity of his crimes, the probation service described his offenses as opportunistic rather than indicative of a deeper, more sinister sexual deviance. Ashton, however, continues to maintain his innocence.

As part of his sentence, Ashton was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and is prohibited from working with children indefinitely. The court also indicated that a sexual offences prevention order might be imposed towards the end of his incarceration to further restrict his activities.

Judge Simon Newell addressed Ashton directly during the sentencing, noting that while the defendant had limited previous convictions, his upbringing and education had been severely lacking through no fault of his own. The judge emphasized that although the crimes were “desperately unpleasant and nasty,” they were not accompanied by violence or threats, which somewhat influenced the severity of the sentence.

Prosecutor Fiorella Brereton provided details of the crimes, describing how Ashton committed a sex act on the first victim and then engaged in sexual intercourse with her. She recounted that the girl tried to push him away and told him to leave her alone, but Ashton’s influence over her was profound. The victim did not initially disclose the abuse, fearing blame, and Ashton had told her not to tell anyone. On another occasion, he was found in bed with both girls when he raped one of them.

In 2008, the first victim confided in her boyfriend about the sexual assault, and days later, Ashton raped her again. She later disclosed the abuse to a school staff member, which led to his arrest. During police interviews, Ashton denied any sexual activity with the girls and had no prior convictions for sex offenses. The court heard that the victims suffered long-term emotional effects; the first girl experienced problems at school and engaged in self-harm as a way to cope with her trauma.

Defending Ashton, Charlotte Holland argued that her client denied the allegations and emphasized that he had never been to custody before. She pointed out that Ashton had spent 45 days on remand and insisted that he was not a predator, asserting that no violence was used during the offenses.

Det. Constable Peter Greenwood commented on the broader impact of the crimes, stating, “The offences this man committed have had far-reaching effects on both his victims and their families. Hopefully, his conviction and prison sentence will assist them in dealing with this, helping them to move on and giving courage to any other young person suffering sexual abuse to come forward, in the knowledge that allegations will be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly.”