Locations
Ederoyd Drive, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28
Description
A man who repeatedly raped a vulnerable woman and forced her to have sex with multiple men in an incident at his home has been jailed following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Team.
The team launched an investigation in October 2022 after the victim reported being raped by Cleveland Wyatt and by several other men and badly beaten at an address in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.
Officers carried out enquiries into the incidents and arrested Wyatt and another man in March 2023.
After consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, both men were charged with several sexual offences.
Following a trial at Leeds Crown Court in February this year, Wyatt was found guilty of four offences. His co-defendant was found not guilty on all counts.
Wyatt was convicted of one count of rape of the victim between 31 July 2022 and 1 September 2022, and of another count of rape relating to three additional occasions during the same period.
He was also convicted of two counts of causing the victim to engage in penetrative sexual activity without her consent between 1 September 2022 and 31 October 2022 in relation to an incident involving the other men.
Despite extensive enquiries, officers were unable to identify the other men involved in the offences.
Officers supported the victim throughout the investigation and the trial, and she was able to give her evidence under special measures that allowed her account and cross-examination to be video recorded in advance to reduce the impact of the court process on her.
Today, Wyatt, aged 62, of Ederoyd Drive, Pudsey, was sentenced to 21 years in prison. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
The victim provided a Victim Personal Statement to the court. In it she said: “Immediately after all this happened I was anxious and nervous all the time. My sleep has been affected and I have nightmares. I often have nightmares that I am being raped, it’s like re-living what happened. I feel scared and nervous and think about what happened, just talking about this now makes me tear up and feel upset.”
Detective Chief Inspector Lisa Jones, who heads the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Team, which is part of the force’s Programme Precision initiative targeting serious and organised crime, said:
“Wyatt preyed on the victim, who was clearly very vulnerable, and cruelly exploited her in the most appalling of circumstances, raping her on several occasions and forcing her into being raped by multiple other men at the same time.
“During what was a very challenging investigation, officers from the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Team were able to build up a comprehensive evidential picture that has resulted in Wyatt being found guilty at trial.
“Most importantly, we would like to recognise the courage that the victim has shown throughout the investigation and the trial. The lasting traumatic impact that Wyatt’s actions have had on her cannot be underestimated, and we hope it will provide some degree of comfort to her to see him brought to justice.
“West Yorkshire Police remains committed to tackling violence against women and girls alongside our partner agencies, and we hope the successful outcome of this case will illustrate that continued aim and give victims of other similar offences the confidence to come forward knowing they will be listened to and supported.”