Leicester Man Jailed For Abusing Young Girls

30 August 2019, 14:58 | Updated: 30 August 2019, 15:28

A Leicestershire man who sexually abused three girls more than 20 years ago has today (Friday 30 August) been jailed.

Anthony Bamford, known as Tony, committed the offences between 1992 and 1998. His victims, who are now adults, were children at the time.

At Leicester Crown Court, Bamford, of Sheridan Street, Leicester, pleaded guilty to:

Seven counts of rape, relating to two different victims

One count of indecent assault, relating to a third victim

He was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment and must sign the sex offenders register for life. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

A report was first made to Leicestershire Police in 2017, and subsequent enquiries led to five women telling officers that they had been subjected to varying levels of abuse by 63-year-old Bamford.

Detective Constable Jamie Carr, from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) non-recent team, was the investigating officer. He said: “While the initial report made was that two girls had been abused, our investigation soon found there were other victims in this case.

“Each of the women were just children when they were abused by Bamford, who was manipulative in his approach and determined not to be caught.

“However, despite it being some years since he committed his horrific crimes, his victims have shown great courage in providing detailed information to police in order to bring him to justice.

“I am glad that Bamford has pleaded guilty today so no further distress is caused by having to relive their experiences in court.

“But I also believe there may be other victims of Bamford who have not contacted police about the abuse they suffered. I would encourage anyone who believes they were a victim to come forward, where they will be supported by specially-trained officers.”