Northampton child rapist sentenced to 16 years in prison

A man who raped and sexually abused a child has been sentenced to 16 years and four months in prison.

Aaron Oxlade, aged 32, targeted the girl over a two-year period, with his abuse coming to light in January this year when she told her mother what had been happening.

The girl went on to bravely recount her ordeal to Northamptonshire Police, resulting in Oxlade’s arrest and charge.

In March, he appeared at Northampton Crown Court to plead guilty to three counts of rape of a child under 13, three counts of possession of indecent images of children, and one count of a breach of a sexual harm prevention order, imposed in September 2022 following a previous conviction.

At the same court on Monday, July 17, Oxlade, previously of Northampton, was sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison, with a five-year extended licence period, for one of the counts of rape, making a total of 16 years and four months.

He received concurrent prison sentences for the other six offences he admitted, and will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining order were also imposed indefinitely.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Constable James Wright, of the Force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “This case is one of the worst I have dealt with in my seven years working in this unit. Aaron Oxlade abused his position to groom and manipulate his victim.

“The sentence handed down will hopefully help her to recover from the abuse that she suffered. I commend her for her bravery in coming forward and speaking out about this sickening individual.

“Despite Oxlade’s guilty plea, I still don’t think he is remorseful.

“I hope that this case and sentence show how seriously we deal with crimes of this nature. Our team will always strive to secure justice for anyone who finds the courage to come forward to us – please know that we will listen to you, believe you and support you every step of the way.

“Finally, I’d like to say that this investigation was very much a team effort and I thank all of the colleagues who were involved for their dedication and diligence, which meant Oxlade had no choice but to admit to what he did. I wish the survivor every success in rebuilding her life now the man who caused her such harm is behind bars.”

Advice, support and information about reporting sexual abuse can be found here.