Craig Lloyd

Craig Lloyd, a 34-year-old man from Darwen, Lancashire, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court for a series of disturbing offences against a woman he met on a night out. The incidents, which began in March 2025, escalated from persistent harassment to sexual assault and violent threats, leaving the victim with a profound emotional and psychological impact.

Lloyd first encountered the victim at a bar in Darwen in March 2025, where they exchanged phone numbers. Despite the victim's attempts to distance herself, Lloyd began bombarding her with unwanted texts and repeatedly appeared at locations where she was socialising, even though she had not informed him of her whereabouts. His behaviour turned aggressive when she failed to respond, culminating in several alarming incidents. In one episode at a barbecue in May 2025, Lloyd entered a room where the victim was taking selfies with a friend, exposed his penis, and poked it towards her face, touching her cheek. The act was captured in a photograph, and the friend screamed and pushed him away.

• Prosecutor Peter Wilson detailed how Lloyd's harassment intensified, including whispering inappropriate comments to the victim while she was out with friends, such as 'You looked so beautiful eating that burger. Oh God, you're so gorgeous.'
• On another occasion, after the victim told him to leave her alone, Lloyd became aggressive, threatening to strangle her to death and attempting to place his hands around her neck.
• The final incident occurred outside the victim's home, where Lloyd grabbed her by the hair, smashed a wine bottle, and held the broken glass to her face. She managed to lock herself inside and observed him sending a barrage of angry messages from outside.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Wilson, the woman described feeling 'manipulated and controlled' and 'blinded to the reality of the situation'. She noted the 'deep emotional and psychological impact' of the ordeal but stated she was slowly rebuilding her life and returning to her former self. Lloyd pleaded guilty on the first day of trial to charges of making threats to kill, sexual assault, harassment, and threatening a person with a bladed article.

Mitigating, Tom Worsfold highlighted Lloyd's diagnoses of bipolar disorder and personality disorder, explaining that he was in a 'very poor state' during late 2024 and early 2025. Since being remanded in custody, Lloyd had engaged productively in prison recovery programmes to address his mental health and low self-esteem. However, Judge Richard Archer criticised Lloyd for minimising his actions in the pre-sentence report and showing no genuine remorse, stating: 'There can be no room for genuine remorse, nor do you really accept your guilty pleas were necessary for you to admit the enormity of what you've done.' The judge acknowledged the severe impact on the victim.

The case was reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, with prosecution led by Peter Wilson at Preston Crown Court. Lancashire Police provided an image of Lloyd in connection with the offences.