Sex attacker has sentence extended

Date published: August 02, 2022 03:57:40 PM

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A Sheffield man jailed earlier this year for a sexual assault in 1987 has had his sentence extended by more than two years, following a hearing at London’s Court of Appeal.

Raymond Ellis was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2022, after being convicted of an indecent assault he committed over three decades ago.

Officers from South Yorkshire Police’s Major Incident Review Team (MIRT) felt the sentence was too lenient and launched an appeal to have Ellis’ sentence extended.

Dave Stopford, who heads up the force’s MIRT, said: “I am pleased the Court of Appeal agreed with our assessment that the sentence originally passed for Ellis’ horrific crime was too lenient.

“Ellis’ victim has had to live with what happened to her since she was 17 years old. For more than 30 years, she didn’t know who her attacker was.

“Thanks to advancements in forensic technology, the dogged determination of the officers and staff working within the MIRT, and the support of specialist scientists, we were able to identify Ellis and bring him before the courts earlier this year.

“However, we felt strongly that the sentence passed did not adequately convey the severity of Ellis’ crime, nor did it feel like justice for the victim. She has had to live with the trauma of being sexually assaulted for three decades, whereas Ellis would spend only a fraction of that time behind bars.”

Following a hearing on Friday (29 July) at the Court of Appeal in London, Ellis, formerly of Eastville in Bristol – but who lived in Sheffield at the time of the assault – had his jail sentence extended to 10 years, reduced by 25% due to his guilty plea. His total sentence is now seven-and-a-half years.
Youel, formerly of Rotherham Road, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to murder at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 12-and-a-half years, at Sheffield Crown Court today (Friday 29 July).

Yorkshire Photography