A man has been jailed for life after “horrendous abuse” of five victims over two decades

A sex attacker who raped two women and subjected three other victims to a host of sickening crimes has been jailed for life.

Andrew Woodhouse, 48, committed a series of horrific abuses against five victims, including rape, blackmail, sexual assault and forcing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also engaged in controlling and coercive behavior on numerous occasions and was found in possession of extreme pornography.

Nottingham Crown Court heard his offending spanned 20 years until his arrest in 2021, and came to light when his victims bravely reported his crimes.

He denied most of the charges, but after a trial he was found guilty of numerous crimes, including four rapes.

Magistrates heard Woodhouse, of Cranmer Street, Long Eaton, was arrested in October 2020 after a woman reported she had been raped by him more than once in 2019.

The woman reported that he was also obsessed with an older woman, whom he bombarded with thousands of disgusting sexual messages over several years.

When the older woman ignored his messages, Woodhouse blackmailed her by superimposing her face on photos of naked women and threatened to share them online.

He even threatened to put fake images on lampposts in the woman’s neighborhood if she didn’t do what he said, and during the hearing in which he heard the threats, she was “shaking like a leaf.”

During the investigation, evidence was discovered indicating the presence of a second rape victim. Detectives contacted the woman and she confirmed that Woodhouse had raped her in 2001, adding that there had been other occasions when he had been violent towards her.

Meanwhile, another woman was identified and Woodhouse reportedly subjected her to controlling and coercive behavior on multiple occasions between 2020 and 2021.

The trial heard that around the same time, Woodhouse was seducing a young girl before sexually assaulting her and promising her treats such as candy if she complied with his depraved requests.

As part of the investigation, detectives confiscated his devices and found extreme pornography on his mobile phone, including a number of bestiality films.

The jury found him guilty of four counts of rape, an indecent assault, three counts of engaging in controlling/coercive behavior, two counts of assaulting a girl by touching, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and two counts of forcing a child to look at images depicting sexual activity.

Woodhouse previously pleaded guilty to four counts of blackmail and one count of possession of extreme pornography.

On Friday (June 7), he was convicted of all 20 offenses and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 18 years and 329 days in prison.

Passing sentence, Judge Julie Warburton told Woodhouse he was an “extremely manipulative and predatory offender” and that “your chickens have finally come home to roost.”

Following the verdict, Detective Constable Stacey Lamb, who led the investigation, said:

“Andrew Woodhouse committed crimes over a 20-year period and his abuse had a profound impact on his victims.

“The evidence they provided was absolutely crucial to the success of the prosecution and I would like to pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and bravery throughout the investigation.

“Their bravery prevented him from harming others further and although his actions will remain with them forever, I hope this sentence can give them a sense of closure.

“Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection teams investigate incidents of rape and sexual abuse every day to make sure offenders are held to account and victims receive the support they need.

“We encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence to contact the police. We will listen to you carefully, investigate you and do everything in our power to obtain justice for you.”

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