Serial sexual predator jailed after decades of assaults against women and children

A man will serve 26 years in prison after decades of sexual offending against women and children in Kirklees.
Leslie Terrence HousecroftLeslie Terrence Housecroft
Leslie Terrence Housecroft

Leslie Terrence Housecroft, 73, from North Kirklees, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, May 6, after being found guilty of 14 sexual offences, including rape, against two women and three children in the Kirklees district between 1993 and 2016.

Of the 49.5 years of prison terms imposed, 26 of them were consecutive terms to be served in prison with a further 23.5 years which will run concurrently alongside the 26-year custodial period.

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He has been branded as a "serial sexual predator" by Kirklees safeguarding detectives who welcomed his sentencing.

The 73-year-old was convicted by jury following a two week trial at Leeds Crown Court in March.

He was found guilty of six offences of raping a child, two indecent assaults on a child, a sexual assault on a child, an offence of rape against a woman, and four sexual assaults against a woman.

Housecroft was also subject to a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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He was first reported to Kirklees Police in January 2018, sparking a full police investigation which uncovered more offending.

Acting Detective Sergeant Yvonne Brear, of the Kirklees District Safeguarding Unit, who led the investigation, said: “Leslie Housecroft is without doubt a dangerous serial sexual predator who committed some of the most serious sexual offences against victims over a three decade period.

“Rather than admit his guilt, he chose to put those victims through the ordeal of a trial and we welcome the strong sentence imposed on him.

“I wish to commend the bravery of those victims who came forward and supported both the police investigation and then the prosecution to ensure this man was taken out of our communities.

“We are committed to achieving justice for victims of sexual offending, no matter when those offences took place, and can promise their needs are at the heart of every investigation.”