September 2015

Pensioner jailed for child rape

A former Lincolnshire man has been jailed for 22 years after he was convicted of multiple offences of child rape and indecent assault.

Stephen Francis, who previously lived in the village of Saltfleet, had denied all charges against him but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday.

Judge John Pini QC, passing sentence, told him: “You have shown staggering depths of depravity and wickedness. There has to be a substantial sentence of imprisonment in this case.”

Francis, 64, now of Laurel Close, Forest Town, Mansfield, was found guilty of eight charges of rape and a further nine charges of indecent assault involving a young girl.

He was also found guilty of a single charge of indecently assaulting a second girl. The offences occurred during the 1980s. During his trial he claimed the main prosecution witness against him had lied about what happened.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and was given an indefinite sexual offences prevention order.

Stephen Kemp, defending, said that Francis was in poor health both physically and mentally.

He said “He has resigned himself to dying in prison. He has no hope and sees he has no future.”