Anthony Lanchester

Anthony Lanchester, a 20-year-old resident of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, was convicted of rape and sexual assault after targeting two young boys in separate incidents. The first offence occurred in October 2024, when Lanchester followed a boy who was walking a friend home. He continued to pursue the boy into Wash Meadows Recreation Ground, known locally as Johnny’s Park, off Millership Way in Ilkeston. There, Lanchester attempted to hug the boy before sexually assaulting and raping him.

The incident was promptly reported to Derbyshire Police, resulting in Lanchester's arrest on 2 December 2024. While released on bail for the initial charge, Lanchester committed another offence in April 2025, sexually assaulting a second boy in the early afternoon on Beauvale Drive in Cotmanhay. He was arrested again and charged with one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

Lanchester, of Stringer Close, Ilkeston, appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court, where he was remanded into custody. On 30 May 2025, he denied all charges during a hearing. The case proceeded to trial at Nottingham Crown Court, where on 20 October 2025, a jury found him guilty of rape and two counts of sexual assault related to the first victim, but not guilty on one count pertaining to the second boy.

On 1 December 2025, the judge sentenced Lanchester to six years and six months in a young offender’s institution. Additionally, his name was added to the sex offenders register for life, and he was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely. Police described Lanchester as a predator who showed no remorse and reoffended while on bail.

Detective Constable Natalie Fletcher, the officer in the case from Derbyshire Police, praised the victims' bravery: “I have been blown away by the bravery of the two victims in this case. They both had the courage to speak up initially to report what Lanchester had done to them and were required to recall it again to provide video statements as evidence. They then had to relive the incidents at trial, as Lanchester refused to own up to what he had done.” She highlighted the societal stigma faced by male victims but noted how their testimony secured the conviction, allowing justice to be served.