A 41-year-old man from Harrogate has been jailed for 15 years for a series of child sexual offences.
Ricky Andrew Clench appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 13 July 2021)
He was found guilty of:
- Raping a child under 13
- Assaulting a child under 13 by penetration and;
- of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
He was remanded into custody overnight and was sentenced this morning (Wednesday 14 July 2021). He was also issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Clench’s reign of abuse started in August 2017 when he lived in the Northallerton area and continued until September 2018, when the victim bravely came forward and reported his offences to the police.
Clench denied the offences and maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and court hearings.
The jury found him guilty of all three of the charges.
Detective Constable Jason Roper, of Northallerton CID, led the investigation:
The significant sentence handed to Ricky Clench reflects the gravity of the offences he has committed. He is a predatory and manipulative paedophile who has shown no consideration for his victim throughout the investigation and the court proceedings.
Thankfully he is now behind bars for a very long time and has been made subject to two lifetime protection orders, preventing him from inflicting harm on any other innocent victims.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the victim for their bravery and courage in coming forward to report such a harrowing experience, and also to their family for the support they have shown throughout the investigation.
