Clifford Church

63, Male Custodial 2026-03-05

Offender ID: ff95c221-2da6-403a-b224-fa437ad3d3bd

Offence Summary

Clifford Church, a dangerous and violent sexual predator, took a victim to a flat where he raped and assaulted them before the victim escaped and he was later arrested.

Full Description

Clifford Church, aged 63 and of no fixed address, was sentenced to life imprisonment at York Crown Court on 5 March 2026 after pleading guilty to rape and assault. The offences occurred when Church lured the victim to a flat, where he subjected them to a violent sexual attack. The victim demonstrated remarkable courage by escaping the scene, which ultimately led to Church's apprehension.

Following the assault, Church was captured on CCTV footage hurrying away from the location. Despite an extensive manhunt by North Yorkshire Police, he evaded capture for several weeks until he was arrested in Bradford by officers from West Yorkshire Police. During his police interview, Church initially denied the rape allegation but then refused to answer further questions, providing no cooperation to investigators.

The North Yorkshire Police investigation was thorough, involving hours of CCTV analysis, forensic examinations, and detailed enquiries with witnesses. This comprehensive effort resulted in Church being formally charged with the offences. At the sentencing hearing, the judge imposed a life sentence, stipulating that Church must serve a minimum of 12 years before being eligible for consideration for release, reflecting the severity of his actions as a dangerous and violent sexual predator.

Detective Constable Nicky Wareham, from North Yorkshire Police’s Safeguarding Investigation team, commented on the case: “I welcome the significant custodial sentence handed down today. Church is a dangerous and violent sexual predator who subjected the victim to a deeply traumatic ordeal. I want to commend the courage shown by the victim during this investigation. Her strength and willingness to support the investigation enabled us to gather the crucial evidence needed to secure this conviction and ensure Church is now behind bars, where he can no longer pose a threat to anyone.” The case was reported by the Harrogate Advertiser, highlighting the police's commitment to safeguarding victims of sexual violence in the region.

Case Details

Police Force: North Yorkshire Police

Name heritage (predicted origin)

Country: United Kingdom

Confidence: 100%

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to North Yorkshire Police for their tireless dedication in bringing this offender to justice. Your commitment and hard work truly help keep our communities safe, and we are deeply grateful.

Source: harrogateadvertiser.co.uk

Request a correction or removal

If anything on this page is inaccurate, out of date, or should no longer be published — for example, if an appeal has been granted, a conviction overturned, or reporting restrictions apply — please let us know and we will review it promptly.

Requests are reviewed by our team. Where a valid reason is provided we will remedy the situation as quickly as possible. Please include any supporting evidence or official source links to help us act fast.

Important notice — this is not an official register

sexoffenders.co.uk is an independent, unofficial publication. We are not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, any government body, police force, or official sex offenders register. We research, write about, and republish information drawn from cases already reported in the media, published in court records, or released by police forces. We disclose our source for each entry where available.

Whilst we take care to be accurate, we cannot guarantee the completeness, currency, or ongoing accuracy of any information. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. Users must not use information from this site to harass, intimidate, threaten, or otherwise harm any individual. Any such conduct may be unlawful.

If you believe any information is inaccurate, out of date, or requires removal for legal reasons (including reporting restrictions or matters involving a child), please use the correction form on the relevant offender page, or refer to our Privacy Policy for how to contact us. We will review all reports promptly.