Overview
- John Priestley was convicted at trial in April and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on Monday.
- The offences took place in the early 1970s in Croston when Priestley was the village butcher and his two victims were about 11 and 13 years old.
- One victim reported the abuse to Lancashire Police in 2022, enquiries identified the second victim, and Priestley denied wrongdoing when interviewed and pleaded not guilty at trial.
- A victim impact statement read in court described persistent emotional harm that affected parenting, intimate relationships, and family life for decades.
- Lancashire Police said Priestley will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and urged anyone with historic sexual-abuse allegations to report them so they can be listened to, supported and investigated.