'Dangerous and violent sexual predator' jailed for life

Clifford Church, 63, of no fixed address, was sentenced today (March 5) at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to rape and assault.

The offences took place when Church took the victim to a flat.

The victim managed to escape and after the attack, Church was caught on CCTV leaving in a hurry.

Despite extensive police efforts to locate him, he remained at large for several weeks, before he was eventually arrested in Bradford by West Yorkshire Police.

During interview, Church denied raping the victim, before refusing to answer further questions.

Following a North Yorkshire Police investigation, which included hours of comprehensive CCTV analysis, forensic work, and detailed witness enquiries, Church was charged.

Church was sentenced to life in prison and told he must serve a minimum of 12 years before being considered for release.

Detective Constable Nicky Wareham, of North Yorkshire Police’s Safeguarding Investigation team, said: “I welcome the significant custodial sentence handed down today.

"Church is a dangerous and violent sexual predator who subjected the victim to a deeply traumatic ordeal.

“I want to commend the courage shown by the victim during this investigation.

"Her strength and willingness to support the investigation enabled us to gather the crucial evidence needed to secure this conviction and ensure Church is now behind bars, where he can no longer pose a threat to anyone.”