A MAN has been jailed for for carrying out serious sexual offences against a woman.
Lennox Smith, 24, of Upland Road, in Thatto Heath, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Friday, August 1) after pleading guilty to two counts of rape and sexual assault.
The offences occurred between May and June 2023 at an address in St Helens.
He was jailed for six years and nine months.
As well as a prison sentence, Smith was also issued with an indefinite Restraining Order not to contact the victim and is on the Sex Offender register for life.
In a powerful victim personal statement (VPS), the woman said: “This has had a huge impact on my life. My whole life got destroyed. I had no control over my life or my body. I was disrespected to the highest levels.
"Physically I have never felt so weak in my whole life. Even though I have support from family and RASA (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support) and the officers on my case, I have never felt so alone and trapped in my own thoughts. My family tell me I’m different now and I’m not the same happy person that I used to be.
“I’m trying to accept there are parts of me I will never get back and trying my best to focus on each day as it comes. I’m ready to take my life back. I’m ready to become the best strongest version of myself I possibly can. I’m ready to focus on rebuilding my life properly again and finding myself again. I’m ready to put Lennox Smith in the past.”
Detective Sergeant Bob Sandham, who led on the case, said: “I would firstly like to commend the victim for having the courage to report these offences and I hope the sentencing of Smith provides her with some comfort.
“This has been a complex and lengthy investigation, but thankfully we were able to provide enough evidence that Smith had no choice but to admit what he’d done.
“I hope today’s result shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated in Merseyside and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.
“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.
“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”
Anyone with information or wants to report a sexual offence is asked to call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault or rape, you can access specialist support services, which are free of charge and available to anyone. You do not need a referral or to have reported an incident to Merseyside Police before you access these specialist support services.
These services can support you in a variety of ways, including offering a confidential discussion if you are thinking of making a police report, but are unsure what that involves and would like to discuss it.
If you do decide to report to Merseyside Police, you will receive support throughout the investigation and court processes.
You can choose to make an anonymous report through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre called Safe Place, or the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service, rather than coming directly to Merseyside Police.
With no police involvement, a specialist doctor at Safe Place can examine you to check that you are ok and look for DNA evidence, which they will store to support your case. This gives you the option of making a formal police report at a later time, if you choose to.
Support is also available in Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, from Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here:
Rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences | Merseyside Police
Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: https://www.victimcaremerseyside.org/
Alternatively, you can report a sexual offence by calling 101 or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always call 999.
For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a pilot service https://www.police.uk/pu/notices/streetsafe/street-safe/ (www.police.uk) for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, e.g. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, e.g. being followed or verbally abused. Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.
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