GUILTY: Man who subjected girl to years of sexual abuse will be sent to prison

A 34-year-old man who subjected a girl to eight years of sexual abuse in Northampton has been found guilty of 12 offences and will be sent to 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 on May 22, 2023.  

However, after deliberating for approximately 5 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 will return to the same court on July 26, 2023, to be sentenced for his crimes.

Lead Investigators – Police Constable Emily Faulkner and Detective Constable Nayhaa Saleem said: “The bravery it takes to report sexual abuse cannot be underestimated and so first of all, we want to commend this young woman for her courage in coming forward. Together, we have ensured Luke Bradshaw will be sent to prison for his awful crimes.

“Though no outcome at court would have erased the memories of what she suffered at his hands, we hope she can now move on with the bright future she has ahead of her alongside her strong support network of family.

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

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.