Man, 36, jailed after raping child on multiple occasions in Staffordshire
A man who raped a child on several occasions in Staffordshire has been jailed.
William Preece began speaking to the child online in 2021.
They exchanged lots of messages and met in person a number of times, where Preece then committed the offences.
Following his arrest, Preece answered 'no comment' to all questions put to him by Staffordshire Police officers. However, police already had sufficient evidence to charge him.
Now, the the 36-year-old, of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has been sentenced to 17 years behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (December 1) after pleading guilty to two counts of rape of a girl and one count of sexual assault of a girl earlier this year.
Detective Constable Angela Maxfield, who worked on the case, said: “Preece was prolific in his offending and has rightfully been put behind bars for his crimes.
“I want this to serve as a message to any survivors of rape and sexual offences that we are here to support you and to act against those responsible for these crimes.
"No matter how recent or long ago the offences may have been, we want to hear from you.”
As part of his sentencing, he was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), put on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and served with a restraining order.
Detective Inspector Adam Goodger, from our public protection unit, said: “We’re determined to seek the toughest possible punishment in court for those responsible for violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls in Staffordshire.
“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to build all of the evidence needed to secure this outcome against a sex offender who committed a series of crimes in our community.”
