Locations
Peterlee, County Durham, SR8
Description
Pair who raped and sexually abused children jailed for almost 30 years.
“Speak to police – you will be believed, and it will be investigated. It doesn’t matter if it was four years or 40 years ago, just say something and get the justice you deserve.”
These are the words of a rape survivor who this week saw her abusers jailed for almost 30 years.
The woman was in primary school in the 1980s when she was raped and sexually assaulted by Neil Willis and Anthony Douglas.
The pair also sexually abused a boy, while Willis also assaulted two other young children.
The two rapists were living in Peterlee, County Durham, at the time of the abuse, with Willis, formerly known as Neil Blenkinsop, aged between 14 and 17, and Douglas aged 19 to 20.
Their offending came to light when one of the boys – who is now an adult – told police what happened to him in 2019.
An investigation was launched by Durham Constabulary, which led to three further survivors coming forward and disclosing that they too had been abused, and the pair were charged with a multitude of sexual offences.
Willis, aged 57, admitted some charges and was found guilty of others, including rape, indecent assault, buggery, and gross indecency with a child following a two-and-a-half-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year.
Douglas denied all offences, but the 58-year-old was found guilty of several counts of rape, indecent assault, and gross indecency with a child.
The pair appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday (July 14) for sentencing; Willis, of Ealing, in London, was jailed for 13 years, while Douglas, of Hartlepool, was jailed for 16 years with a one-year extended licence.
They were also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
In a powerful victim impact statement that was read out in court, one of the survivors said the pair had destroyed her life.