Man sentenced after sexually assaulting children and a woman

A paedophile who sexually assaulted two children and raped a woman while on Crown Court bail has been given a sentence totalling 23 years.

Michael Levy, 39, sexually assaulted his first victim, who was just nine years old at the time, on a number of occasions. Levy then bombarded her with WhatsApp messages telling her he loved her.

Levy sexually assaulted his second victim, who was 13-year-old at the time, on a number of occasions.

Having been interviewed and charged in relation to those offences, Levy was given Crown Court bail on December 16, 2022, while awaiting trial. This included conditions not to enter Blackburn.

In November 2022, Levy began messaging his third victim – a woman he met nearly a decade earlier – out of the blue. He bombarded her with messages until she agreed to meet him for a coffee in Blackburn in early January, something he was barred from doing by his bail conditions.

Levy continued to bombard his victim with messages asking to meet up again, turning up at her house uninvited and other locations he knew she was – breaching his bail conditions with the unwanted visits.

After being bombarded with messages about meeting up, and feeling pressured, the victim agreed to Levy coming over to her house while her friend was there. During the time Levy was there, the victim was messaging her friend stating how increasingly uncomfortable he was making her feel.

After the victim’s friend had left, Levy sexually assaulted and raped her.

Levy, of no fixed address but formerly of Woodfield, Bamber Bridge, was found guilty of 13 sexual offences against children under 13 years following a trial at Preston Crown Court in March. Those offences occurred between 2019 and 2021.

Following a separate trial in July, Levy was found guilty of rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent in relation to his adult victim.

Today, (September 4) at Preston Crown Court, Levy was sentenced to 18 years immediate custody, with a further five years extended licence after a Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender.

He was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The mother of the teenage victim wrote in a Victim Personal Statement to the court:

“My daughter had been a very bubbly and lively girl and was just great to be around. In the lead up to her talking to us about what had happened, I had noticed a change in her. I wondered whether it was her being a typical teenager but now believe it was the impact of what Levy had done to her, beginning to affect her.

"Her moods and attitudes began to change, she started to talk back to me which she had never done previously, and we would end up arguing. I noticed her starting to not eat or drink as much as she had used to and had to work hard to encourage her to eat to try and stop her becoming ill.

“One we had spoken to the police about what had happened, she started to have trouble with her sleep, she was so frightened of bumping into Levy and what he would do to her. She would tell me about vivid nightmares she had with Levy in them, I recall one specifically where she woke up in tears because of what had happened in the dream.”

"Emotionally drained"

The adult victim said in her victim personal statement:

“It’s so difficult to put into words, I am emotionally drained all the time, I can’t think straight. I feel scared all the time. I struggle to sleep and when I do it’s only a couple of hours, then I am stressed at the children, it’s just awful.

“The children are upset, they don’t want to go to school, I just feel so sad for them. I think they wonder where their mum has gone, as I think I am just daydreaming most of the time. Stuck. Unable to go forward. Unable to get what happened out of my mind. One minute I am there, the next I am gone.”

DC Jo Billington, of East CID, said:

“Levy is a dangerous and predatory offender with a sordid sexual view and sense of entitlement towards both women and girls. He planned these offences and continued to sexually assault his victims even when they pleaded with him to stop.

“He committed the final offences when he was on bail, facing a trial for his sexual assaults on children. Knowing full well what he had done to all three victims in this case, he forced them to relive their harrowing experiences by making them give evidence in a trial.

“These offences have had a profound impact on all three victims in this case, and I would like to take this opportunity to praise them for their bravery throughout this process. I hope the significant sentence handed down today will give them some sense of closure.

“We take all forms of sexual violence against women and girls extremely seriously. If you or somebody you know has been the victim of a sexual offence I would ask that you contact the police, confident that you will be believed, listened to and we will do everything in our power to put the perpetrator before the courts.”

Visit https://www.lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/personal-safety/rape-and-sexual-assault/ or call 101. If a crime is in progress always call 999.

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