Jeffrey Fisher

Jeffrey Fisher, a 64-year-old man from Blackpool, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Leeds Crown Court for historical sexual offences committed over 40 years ago in the Wakefield area.

The offences occurred in the early 1980s when Fisher, then a young man who had been held at a Borstal youth detention home, groomed a young girl. He walked her to school and convinced her that he was her boyfriend, leading to her being raped by him. As a result of the rape, the victim became pregnant and was left living alone. She subsequently developed a drug addiction, and her child was removed from her care.

During the trial in December, Fisher maintained his denials, but a jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of indecent assault. In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Petterson, the victim described the trauma as 'always there', highlighting the lasting impact of Fisher's actions.

Mitigating, defence barrister Beatrice Allsop noted that Fisher had been a young man at the time of the offences, having endured a difficult upbringing after being abandoned by his mother and introduced to criminality. Despite this, Judge Alex Menary described Fisher as a 'dangerous' offender, imposing a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and placing him on the sex offender register for life.

Fisher appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, where he had been held on remand. The case was reported by the Wakefield Express and Yorkshire Evening Post, with images provided by West Yorkshire Police (WYP).