Neil McEvoy, a 57-year-old man formerly residing at Grimshaw Street in Preston, Lancashire, was sentenced in 2023 to a total of 20 years for multiple serious offences, including rape and sexual assault. The sentence comprised a 15-year custodial term and a five-year extended licence period. Judge Andrew Jefferies KC, during sentencing, described McEvoy as dangerous and highlighted his lack of remorse, noting that he had attempted to minimise his responsibility for the crimes.
The offences began in July 2020 when McEvoy assaulted a man at his flat on Grimshaw Street. While drinking with the victim and another individual, McEvoy initiated a violent attack that lasted intermittently for approximately 90 minutes. He punched, kicked, slapped, and pinned the victim against the wall, resulting in charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Subsequently, in November 2020, while under investigation for the assault, McEvoy targeted a particularly vulnerable 61-year-old woman. She had been shopping in Preston city centre and was sitting on a bench near his flat when he beckoned her inside, where two other people were drinking with him. Once the others left, McEvoy committed a sexual offence against her, specifically causing sexual activity without consent.
Knowing he was under investigation for these prior offences, McEvoy then raped a 75-year-old woman. McEvoy pleaded guilty to rape, causing sexual activity without consent, and the assault charge. As a result of his guilty plea to the rape count, the prosecution dropped two additional counts of rape involving another victim.
In a bid to overturn his conviction, McEvoy appealed to the Court of Appeal, claiming he was persuaded by his barrister to plead guilty under the false promise of a 10-year sentence, of which he would serve only half. He further argued there was no DNA evidence linking him to the victim and that his legal representation was inadequate, asserting he would have been acquitted at trial. However, Mr Justice Cavanagh rejected these claims in his ruling, stating: 'The applicant's guilty plea to rape was unequivocal and, on his own account, it was made voluntarily. He had plenty of time to think about whether to proffer it, and at the time of entering it, he knew the Crown's case against him and that he was facing on any view a substantial prison sentence.'
The judge emphasised that appeals against conviction following a guilty plea are only successful in limited circumstances, which did not apply here. He added: 'Advice about the potential length of sentence if a guilty plea is offered does not amount to improper pressure on the defendant, even if it is over-optimistic. In the present case, even on the basis of the advice that he says he received, the applicant was facing a 10-year sentence. This did not represent a significant incentive to plead guilty if he was genuinely innocent.' The appeal was refused, upholding McEvoy's original sentence. The case was reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, with details sourced from court proceedings at Preston Crown Court and the Court of Appeal.