Retired Maghull police sergeant guilty of ‘appalling’ child abuse
A MAN has been convicted of sexual offences and cruelty against children following a trial at Preston Crown Court.
Jeffrey Lake, 78, formerly of Peregian Springs, Queensland, Australia was found guilty of seven offences of indecent assault on a girl under 13; four offences of gross indecency on a girl under 14; two counts of rape of a girl under 16, one count of rape of a girl over 16; one offence of gross indecency on a boy under 14; three offences of cruelty on a person under 16, and two other sexual offences. The convictions follow a two week trial held at Preston Crown Court. He will be sentenced on Thursday 24th October. The offences relate to two victims, a girl and a boy, and were committed between January 1960 and June 1975. The victims were aged between 4 and 19 at the time.
They relate primarily to when the man lived in the Accrington area, although he also spent time in Oldham and Maghull. He emigrated to Australia in 2002. Lake was arrested by police in Australia in February on suspicion of the sexual and physical abuse of children. He was detained at an address in Peregian Springs, Queensland on behalf of Lancashire Constabulary and subsequently extradited to the UK in March. He arrived back in the UK on Tuesday, March 26th when he was charged and remanded to appear at court. Chief Supt Bob Eastwood said: “These were despicable offences committed against two young children, made all the more sinister by Lake’s insistence of innocence and his attempts to persuade the jury his victims had invented the abuse. No doubt he will now face a considerable time in custody to reflect on the depravity of what he has done. “I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victims and to the hard work of the investigative team and our partners at the Crown Prosecution Service for bringing the case to court and securing this conviction. “Lancashire Constabulary will always take allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously, no matter how long ago they were committed and we would encourage people with any information about sexual abuse or who has been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report their concerns confident in the knowledge it will be investigated appropriately and with sensitivity.”
“I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victims and to the hard work of the investigative team and our partners at the Crown Prosecution Service for bringing the case to court and securing this conviction”
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