Long Eaton rapist sentenced to life imprisonment for 20 crimes over two decades

A rapist who committed his crimes over a 20-year period has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Andrew Woodhouse, of Cranmer Street, Long Eaton, raped his first victim in 2001, when he was in his mid-twenties.

But he continued living his life until he was arrested in October 2020 after a woman said she had been raped by him more than once in 2019. During their investigation, police found that the 48-year-old had committed a series of other heinous crimes.

These included bombarding an elderly woman with thousands of disgusting sexual messages and blackmailing her when she ignored him, putting her face on pictures of naked women and threatening to post them online and on lampposts in her neighborhood. The trial said the threats left the victim “as devastated as a leaf.”

During the investigation, evidence of the 2001 rape also came to light. The victim stated that Woodhouse had been violent towards her on other occasions as well.

Another woman was identified and said that Woodhouse repeatedly subjected her to controlling and coercive behavior between 2020 and 2021. And an underage girl was sexually abused after Woodhouse instigated her by promising her candy if she did what he asked.

When his mobile phone was seized, extreme pornography was found on it, including several videos of sodomy. Woodhouse admitted to possessing extreme pornographic material on one occasion and blackmailing on four occasions.

However, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, sexual assault, three counts of controlling/coercive behaviour, two counts of assault on a girl by touching, inducing a child to perform a sexual act, two counts of performing a sexual act in the presence of a child and two counts of inducing a child to view images of a sexual act. It was only at trial that he was found guilty on all 20 counts.

He was sentenced to a minimum term of 18 years and 329 days at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, June 7. Judge Julie Warburton told Woodhouse he was an “incredibly manipulative and predatory offender” and that “the consequences have now finally been met”.

Detective Constable Stacey Lamb of Nottinghamshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “Andrew Woodhouse’s offending spanned a 20-year period and his abuse had a profound impact on his victims.

“The evidence they gave was absolutely crucial to the prosecution’s success and I want to pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and bravery throughout the investigation. Their bravery prevented further harm from coming to others and although his actions will always haunt them, I hope this verdict can give them a sense of closure.

“Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection teams work every day to investigate cases of rape and sexual abuse to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice and their victims are offered the support they need. We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to contact police. We will listen carefully, we will investigate and we will do everything we can to get justice for you.”