Locations
Upland Road, Thatto Heath, St. Helens, WA10
Description
A despicable rapist attacked an unconscious woman repeatedly, leaving her feeling "so alone and trapped in her own thoughts". Lennox Smith, 24, assaulted the victim multiple times, causing her to fall pregnant before enduring devastating baby loss.
We can confirm that a St Helens man has been jailed for six years and nine months after carrying out serious sexual offences against a woman.
Lennox Smith, 24, of Upland Road, in Thatto Heath, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Friday 1 August) after pleading guilty to two counts of rape and sexual assault.
The offences occurred between May and June 2023 at an address in St Helens.
As well as a prison sentence, Smith was also issued with an indefinite Restraining Order not to contact the victim and is on the Sex Offender register for life.
In a Victim Personal Statement (VPS), the woman said:
“This has had a huge impact on my life. My whole life got destroyed. I had no control over my life or my body. I was disrespected to the highest levels. Physically I have never felt so weak in my whole life. Even though I have support from family and RASA (Rape and Sexual Abuse Support) and the officers on my case, I have never felt so alone and trapped in my own thoughts. My family tell me I’m different now and I’m not the same happy person that I used to be.
“I’m trying to accept there are parts of me I will never get back and trying my best to focus on each day as it comes. I’m ready to take my life back. I’m ready to become the best strongest version of myself I possibly can. I’m ready to focus on rebuilding my life properly again and finding myself again. I’m ready to put Lennox Smith in the past.”
Detective Sergeant Bob Sandham, who led on the case, said:
“I would firstly like to commend the victim for having the courage to report these offences and I hope the sentencing of Smith provides her with some comfort.
“This has been a complex and lengthy investigation, but thankfully we were able to provide enough evidence that Smith had no choice but to admit what he’d done.
“I hope today’s result shows that violence against women and girls will simply not be tolerated in Merseyside and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.
“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.
“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.
“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”