Description
A serial sexual predator has been jailed for 28 years after he was finally brought to justice because of fresh police investigations that were launched in the wake of the "Jimmy Savile scandal inquiry".
Gavin Lancell managed to evade being held to account for his depraved actions many years earlier but the police eventually reviewed his case and investigated further after one of his victims contacted a high-profile police operation that had been set up following allegations made against Savile, a former BBC disc jockey and the presenter of TV series Jim'll Fix It.
Lancell's luck at last ran out when the sexual allegations against him were finally taken forward and were heard during a trial at Hull Crown Court.
Lancell, 53, formerly of Bransholme, Hull, denied 20 sexual offences, including rape, having sex with a girl under 13, indecent assault and indecency with a child, between 1992 and 1996, but he was convicted by a jury of all the offences.
David Godfrey, prosecuting, said that Lancell, previously known as Gavin Eckles, had a "clear sexual fascination" for two young girls and he committed sexual offences against them. One of them spoke out in 1996 but she was "not listened to" and both girls came forward in 1999 and spoke to police.
"Their accounts were recorded on video," said Mr Godfrey. "Both girls made clear allegations of sexual abuse in 1999 but, at this time, like in 1996, the allegations being made by the girls were not taken further and the defendant was not prosecuted." One of the girls made attempts in 2012 to contact the police to hold Lancell to account.
A female detective constable told the court that an Op Hydrant programme was set "on the back of the Jimmy Savile scandal inquiry" to look into allegations of historical sexual abuse. It was initially set up to review allegations against 'institutions, politicians and celebrities".
One of the victims was aware of this initiative and she again contacted the police. The case was transferred to Humberside Police for investigation. She and the other victim were again spoken to by police in 2021 and provided further video evidence.
Lancell had been interviewed by the police in 1999 and he made denials but the details had not been transcribed or stored. He was arrested and interviewed in October 2021.
"Allegations of this sort have a habit of bubbling up to the surface," said Mr Godfrey. "They never go away and, indeed, that's what happened in 2021."
Lancell told police: "I am strongly denying it. I am still in shock." He claimed that he felt "disgusted" because he had "done nothing wrong". He replied "No" when individual allegations were put to him.
"My story hasn't changed because it never happened," he claimed. "I did nothing then and I have still done nothing." He continued his denials during the trial.
Lancell, of Bramham Grove, York, will have to register as a sex offender for life. He had been on bail during the trial but this was revoked and he was remanded in custody after he was convicted by the jury.
He was sentenced in his absence after declining to come up from the cells into the courtroom.