Henry Herbert Lenton

A man from Oxford has been sentenced to 13 years in prison following his conviction for serious child sex offences committed in Bordon. Henry Herbert Lenton, aged 36, from Barton Village Road in Oxford, was found guilty after a four-day trial at Winchester Crown Court in February 2022.

The charges against Lenton included one count of raping a child under 13, two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of sexual assault of a child under 13. These offences took place against one child between January 2019 and January 2021 in Bordon, Hampshire. Lenton denied all charges during the trial but was unanimously convicted on all four counts by the jury.

On Thursday, 10 March 2022, Lenton appeared at Winchester Crown Court for sentencing. The court imposed a custodial sentence of 13 years, along with a one-year extended licence period. In addition to the imprisonment, Lenton will be required to register on the Sex Offenders Register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to protect the public from further harm.

The case was investigated by Hampshire Constabulary’s Child Abuse Investigation team, led by Detective Constable James Copley. The offences were reported to the police, leading to Lenton's arrest and subsequent prosecution. This conviction underscores the authorities' commitment to pursuing justice in cases of child sexual abuse, with the trial providing a thorough examination of the evidence presented.