Locations
Strathmore Road, Liverpool, L6
Description
A convicted rapist who carried out a sickening attack in a graveyard has been rapped by a court over a 6,000 drugs stash.
Leslie Ryder was previously locked up in 2005 after dragging a teenage student teacher off the street and raping her in the grounds of St Michael in the Hamlet Church in Dingle. He was hauled back before Liverpool Crown Court today, Wednesday, after he was caught harvesting cannabis by police for a third time in six years.
The court heard that plain clothes officers were on patrol on Windfield Green in Garston shortly after 10.15am on January 18 last year when they encountered the 41-year-old, who "smelled strongly of cannabis". Ryder was stopped and searched, during which a wrap of cocaine and a quantity of the class B drug was found upon him.
He was also in possession of a phone which displayed a message reading "are you bagging it now?". The addict had replied: "No, tomorrow."
This led to a raid on his home on the same street, during which cannabis was discovered in a shoe box, a gift bag, a plastic tub and two boxes. A set of scales was also recovered inside.
The stash weighed a total of 414.37g and came with an estimated street value of up to 6,215. Ryder had bypassed an electricity meter in setting up the grow.
After his arrest, he "maintained that he didn't sell drugs" and claimed the text had been from his cousin in relation to a drill. The defendant added he had grown the cannabis for his own personal use, having been "heavily reliant on it since the age of 12".
But Ryder has now "stopped using entirely". No grow was located inside the flat, but the substances found equated to a yield of around seven plants.
He has 14 previous convictions for 34 offences dating back to 1996, including two for production of cannabis in April 2015 and May 2021. Most seriously, he was locked up for seven years in the mid-2000s after being convicted of rape.
The 19-year-old victim was walking home late at night when she was attacked by Ryder, who was described as a "petty thief who lay in wait for a woman to pass by". He threatened the woman with a knife and told her: "Don't scream, just walk with me."
His own heavily pregnant girlfriend was at home just weeks away from giving birth to his child at the time of the incident, and he fled to her apartment afterwards. But he was ensnared after DNA evidence linked him to the appalling crime.
Then aged 24, the sex offender was jailed for only four years and four months originally. But this was later extended by the Court of Appeal after the sentence was deemed to have been "unduly lenient".
Presiding over the appeal, Lord Justice Gage said: "This was a very serious offence of rape occurring in an attack late at night. Ryder threatened the woman with a knife and subjected her to conduct that the trial judge described as sexual indignities."
She ultimately quit her university course as a result as she was too upset to sit her exams.
Ryder, now of Strathmore Road in Tuebrook, has spent the past month in custody and appeared via video link to HMP Liverpool. He admitted production of cannabis, possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine and was handed a two-year community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "This is now your third time before the courts for producing cannabis. You admitted growing cannabis in order to manage the problem you had at the time.
"It is accepted that you were producing cannabis for your own benefit. I know you were heavily addicted and you have now stopped using despite your heavy addiction.
"You have stable accommodation which you will likely lose if you were to receive a custodial sentence. You now wish to live a life which is not involved in criminal offences.
"You have the support of your family, who are keen to see you rehabilitated. You are very lucky to have their support, given all you have put them through. I encourage you to continue with this motivation and continue making positive progress."
Ryder must also serve a six-month drug treatment programme and pay a victim surcharge. Forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and paraphernalia was ordered.