Rapist who attacked woman in Northamptonshire after coming to fix boiler is handed 13-year sentence
Luke Yates, 23, was found guilty of three counts of rape and multiple sexual assaults after a trial at Northampton Crown Court in January.
He was handed an extended sentence totalling 13 years, made up of 10 years' imprisonment and a further three on licence.
Yates' offending was uncovered after Northamptonshire Police was called on 9 March 2022 by a woman who reported he had raped and sexually assaulted her after coming round to fix her boiler.
During the investigation, the force received a second report in July about Yates from a 16-year-old girl.
She told officers that he had raped her during their first meeting, following contact on messaging app Snapchat.
Yates, formerly of Sleaford in Lincolnshire, was charged with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against the first victim, and one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration against the second.
Extended sentences are used for criminals convicted of specific offences who are deemed to be dangerous.
Det Con Hayley Reed, who investigated the initial report against Yates, said: 'I am thrilled for the two survivors that Luke Yates has not only been found guilty by a jury for what he put them through, but has been given an extended sentence which recognises the severity of his offending against them.
'Their courage in reporting his abhorrent and entitled actions was significant, and they have held themselves with such dignity and strength throughout the investigation, supporting the court process at every step. I am so proud of them both.'
Det Con Adam Kelly, who investigated the second report, added: 'The whole process has been very emotionally impactful. In showing such immense strength and seeing the case through trial they have ensured a dangerous sexual predator is now recognised as such and rightfully deprived of his liberty for a significant time."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
9 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Woman who allowed child, 9, to drive car handed unpaid work
A woman who allowed a nine-year-old child to drive through a north-east village during a weather warning has been told to carry out unpaid work. Sophie-Leigh Gemmell was sentenced today at Peterhead Sheriff Court, where she had earlier lodged a guilty plea to culpable and reckless conduct. The 32-year-old's conviction came after she shared a video of the incident online and it went viral. The clip showed Gemmell cheering on the child driver as she manoeuvred through Crimond on July 10 last year – the night of a yellow weather warning. Sheriff Alan Sinclair has now reprimanded Gemmell and told her it was only through fortunate good luck that her actions did not put her – and the child she allowed behind the wheel – in a worse situation. Gemmell's video, shared on Snapchat, showed the bare-footed child using the vehicle's indicators and driving through village streets in rainy nighttime conditions. Gemmell, of The Corse in Crimond, can be heard cheering in the clip and offering driving advice to the youngster as music from the Sugababes blares on the stereo. Iain Jane, her defence solicitor, told the court his client acknowledged her actions were dangerous. He said: 'Ms Gemmell wants to make it clear to the court, she understands that this behaviour was completely foolish. 'This particular endeavour, effectively, [was] based on really poor decision-making by her at the material time. 'At the time, Ms Gemmell was going through very difficult family circumstances. '[The video] was only sent to what was considered trusted family and friends, but that turned out not to be the case. It spread quite far and quite wide.' Sheriff Sinclair branded Gemmell's actions 'reckless in the extreme' and handed her a punishment of 134 hours of unpaid work in the community. 'You allowed a nine-year-old girl to control a piece of machinery that has the potential to cause very serious harm, not just to the occupants, to the wider public. 'I must also take into account the poor weather conditions in which you allowed a young girl to drive. You and the driver were very fortunate not to have suffered more serious, immediate consequences. 'The decision to film the incident and share it seems to defy any reasonable explanation.' The sheriff added, however, that jailing Gemmell for her behaviour would have a 'disproportionate' effect on her own children. Instead, as an alternative to custody, she will complete her unpaid work within the next 12 months.
Press and Journal
15 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen swim coach sentenced for sending child sexual image
A former swim coach from Aberdeen will undertake hundreds of hours of unpaid work after he sent a child an image of his penis. Joel Valentine, 27, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Friday to be sentenced for sending a sexually explicit picture to a 15-year-old boy, whom he knew through swimming, in November 2023. The court had previously been told that Valentine – the former owner of the Aberdeen Swimming Academy – sent the picture to the teenager on Snapchat after the boy had innocently inquired who was going to win the school's 'assistant of the year' prize. Sheriff Morag McLaughlin branded the crime as 'entirely inexplicable' and handed Valentine 200 hours of unpaid work. Defence solicitor Jenny Logan, representing Valentine during the case, said her client had now begun attending counselling sessions to deal with alcohol issues in his personal life. Noting a background report on the former swimming instructor, which she claimed was 'fairly positive', Ms Logan said the offence was 'borne through alcohol misuse'. 'He accepts that,' she added. 'He has also been struggling with his mental health.' Sheriff McLaughlin, addressing Valentine directly, said she was given 'some comfort' that social workers did not deem him a high enough risk for direct intervention. Ordering him to complete unpaid work in place of such an order, she said: 'This is otherwise, to me, an entirely inexplicable offence and you will benefit from doing some work with social work around everything that has caused you to commit that offence to make sure nothing similar happens again.' He will have one year to complete the hours. Valentine will also fall under the supervision of social workers for the next 18 months and be subject to the sexual offenders notification requirements during that period. At the case's last calling in July, fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow told the court Valentine struck up a conversation with his underage victim on the evening of November 5. The boy was invited to a party by Valentine, which he declined, before asking him who would win a prize at the coach's swimming school. In reply, Valentine, of Rennie's Wynd, ordered the boy to carry out a sex act and then forwarded him a picture of his penis. The boy responded to Valentine, stating: 'You're an actual weirdo.' In reply, Valentine sent a further message asking: 'You gay? You gay?' The boy then blocked Valentine on Snapchat before he was messaged again via Instagram. Valentine claimed the image was a 'stock image' that had been sent to him from another party. The teenager reported the incident to the police.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Jewellery worth £100k stolen by Barton Seagrave burglars
Jewellery worth an estimated £100,000 has been stolen in a residential Police is appealing for information after the theft from a property on Grosvenor Way in Barton Seagrave, near Kettering, between 17:30 BST on Wednesday, 13 August and 23:45 on offenders forced entry to the property through a rear door and also stole about £600 in want to speak to anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the area at the presumed time of the burglary and anyone with CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage is asked to contact police on 101. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
