Locations
Stringer Close, Ilkeston, DE7
Description
A young pedophile, Anthony Lanchester, raped a teenage boy in an Ilkeston park as the victim walked home from a fair, then sexually abused a second teen months later while on bail.
At Nottingham Crown Court, the trial heard how the 20-year-old grabbed the first boy, dragged him to a secluded area, touched him sexually, and raped him. The second assault occurred in a different park.
The offenses took place in Ilkeston—one toward the end of 2024, the other in spring 2025.
Judge Mark Watson sentenced Lanchester to six-and-a-half years in a young offender’s institution, stating: “I have read the first victim’s impact statement. He says all he wanted to do was cry in the corner, he said he felt dirty on the inside but he has nothing to be ashamed of."
Prosecutor Daren Samat read the victims' statements. The rape victim said he “feels dirty inside and out” after being violated, adding: “He feels like everyone is going to judge him and has made him feel run down. He said all he wants to do is cry in the corner about everything and this has left him frustrated with life. He said he feels he is worth nothing and feels ashamed as a person.”
The second victim said he was scared to testify as it “brought it all back.”
Lanchester, of Stringer Close, Ilkeston, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault. Defense lawyer Tom Welshman described him as “a young man with no previous convictions” who was 19 at the time, noting: “The victims' personal statements are clearly moving and show these are very serious offences which have had serious consequences and have had a serious effect on them (the victims). He is perhaps a childlike man with certain childlike qualities. At the time Mr Lanchester was an isolated person without many friends who was being picked on but that does not excuse what he did. As a child he witnessed domestic violence.”