Detective praises victims after rapist is jailed for 15 years

Robert Jarrett, 50, of Longworth Road, Hemsworth, was convicted following trial of four counts of rape and nine counts of sexual assault.

The charges relate to historic allegations against one victim from 2004 relating to offences committed when she was between eight and ten-years-old. The other victim came forward in 2015 to report offences over a four-year period from the age of 11.

Det Insp Vanessa Rolfe, of Wakefield Child Safeguarding Team, said: “These two victims have shown immense strength in coming forward. The impact of living with the offences committed against them should not be underestimated, with one victim waiting 13 years to see the man who stole her childhood put behind bars.

“It is due to the strength of the evidence that they were able to provide to the court that Jarrett has been convicted of the horrendous crimes against them.

“We welcome the significant custodial sentence that Jarrett has been given which reflects the seriousness and prolonged nature of his offending.

“We take all allegations extremely seriously and have dedicated, specialist safeguarding officers fully trained in investigating both current and historic reports. We would urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward so that we can ensure that they are provided with appropriate support.”