Child rapist sentenced to 20 years in prison

A 34-year-old man who subjected a girl to eight years of sexual abuse has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Luke Bradshaw, previously of Northampton, started abusing the girl when she was just nine years old, with the abuse getting progressively worse over time.

An investigation was launched by Northamptonshire Police after the girl bravely reported what had been happening to specially-trained officers in the Force’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, and Bradshaw was arrested.

Despite initially denying all of the offences, he would go on to plead guilty to possession of indecent images of children and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, taking a further 12 offences to a trial at Northampton Crown Court which started in May 2023.

However, after deliberating for approximately five hours, the jury returned guilty verdicts to all of the remaining charges – two counts of rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of assaulting a child under 13, two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, and two counts of sexual assault.

Bradshaw return to the same court this week (July 26) and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He was also issued with an extended licence of three years and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) with strict conditions.

Lead Investigator – Detective Constable Emily Faulkner said: “I know that no sentence will give this brave young girl her childhood back, but I really do hope that this is a fresh start for her and that she can now start to rebuild her life, feeling and knowing that she is safe from her abuser.

“Her victim personal statement was read out in court by the prosecutor and was very impactive – giving just a small insight into the abuse and trauma she was being subjected to for so many years.

“She also attended court yesterday - an unbelievably courageous decision to face the man that had abused her for so long and deprived her of her childhood.

“I know she has a bright future ahead of her and she should be proud that her courage means Luke Bradshaw is now behind bars for a significant period of time.

“The sexual abuse of a child is a truly unforgivable crime and we hope this case reassures the public that we will do everything we can to put offenders behind bars and support survivors as much as we can.”

Detective Inspector Liam O'Neill said: "The survivor in this case has demonstrated incredible courage to come forward and report this. It shows that despite such atrocious abuse, there is still hope and this sentence is a good starting point to her recovery. The Child Abuse Investigation Unit is here to help you if you have ever suffered abuse and I hope this demonstrates how seriously we treat cases like this."

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the Northamptonshire Police online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.

We will believe you.

If you have been a victim of a sexual abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.