Lewis Trenchard 24

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A ‘PERSISTENT and prolific offender’ has been jailed for 28 months for his latest crime spree – which included sexually assaulting a woman neighbour, indecent exposure, shoplifting, and screaming racist abuse at a black police officer.

Lewis Trenchard, formerly of Buckshaft Road, Cinderford, but now of Worcester Street, Gloucester, already had 70 offences on his record before committing his most recent spate of crimes in Sedbury and Cheltenham, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault, assault by beating, criminal damage, exposure, theft and using threatening and offensive behaviour with intent to harass or alarm.

Prosecutor Rhianna Fricker said on April 10 2021, Trenchard answered the door to police at an address in Buttington Road, Sedbury.

Ms Fricker said: “He appeared to be very drunk and disorderly. He was taken into custody.”

He started shouting racial slurs at the officers.

The offences began on January 18 2021 when Trenchard was living in Cheltenham.

A woman resident of another flat in the building was at home when Trenchard, who was drunk, started going in and out of her home at a time when Covid restrictions banned people mixing indoors.

During the incident he held her against the sofa and thrust his hips into her. His groin made contact with her hips.

After he was removed from the flat, police received a calls from about Trenchard running into traffic.

Trenchard got onto the bonnet of a car but another man tackled and removed him.

Ms Fricker said the indecent exposure offence followed shortly afterwards and again involved the woman Trenchard had earlier assaulted

“She was sitting near her home with friends and saw the road altercation. Trenchard then joined her and exposed his penis a number of times, making her feel very uncomfortable. He then kicked out at the window of her flat and smashed it. He laughed at the damage he had done and then approached the same woman and touched her breasts with his hand.

Later that day he was found in a nearby shop he was found to have goods concealed in his clothing.

Ms Fricker said Trenchard’s past convictions, beginning in 2015, included 39 thefts, four offences of criminal damage, two of battery, an assault causing actual bodily harm, burglary, two of robbery and one of being drunk and disorderly.

Thomas Griffiths, defending, conceded “This is a particularly unpleasant set of offences and an unhappy record of previous convictions.”

Mr Griffiths said Trenchard had been abusing alcohol and drugs from an early age as a result of events in his troubled childhood.

Trenchard had been in custody on remand awaiting sentence since May last year so had already served the equivalent of a 20 month jail term, said Mr Griffiths.

He asked the judge to consider passing a sentence which would allow Trenchard to leave prison immediately and take up an offer of a fresh start at Bridgend.

Trenchard was anxious to be at liberty as soon as possible to support his mother, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, he added. Trenchard would never forgive himself if he could not be there for his mother in her final days, he said.

“He does not wish to drink alcohol again - he knows now that he cannot have just one drink because it spirals to ten and then to new offending.”

Judge Lowe sentenced Trenchard to a total of 28 months, telling him that although it would not mean his immediate release he would be out of prison in the near future.

Trenchard’s personal problems and background did not excuse his trail of offending but did put it in context, said the judge.

“I am very sorry your mother is ill and I very much hope you will be released in time to go and see her.”

As well as the jail term the judge made a two year restraining order barring Trenchard from contacing the sex assault victim in any way

He also ordered Trenchard to pay £264.64 compensation for the damage to the flat.