Man jailed for sexually abusing little girls

Geoffrey Ravenscroft

A man has been jailed for sexually abusing two little girls in Rochdale.

Geoffrey Ravenscroft, 62, of Pilsworth Road, Heywood,  has been jailed for three years  and ordered to sign the Sex Offender's Register for life.

He pleaded guilty to sexually abusing the two girls almost 20 years apart at Bolton Crown Court at an earlier hearing.

The girls were aged eight and nine when the abuse began but they did not feel able to report what Ravenscroft had done until many years later.

The first girl was nine when the abuse began in 1979. Ravenscroft, who at the time was a lorry driver, forced her to perform a sex act on him on numerous occasions.

The abuse stopped when she told her mother, who confronted Ravenscroft.

The second girl was eight when Ravenscroft, who was by then a coach driver, began abusing her in 1996.

He was alone with her after driving a coach party to Blackpool on the first occasion and forced her to perform a sex act on him on the bus after dropping his passengers off.

The abuse stopped when she threatened to tell her mother.

The women contacted police in 2009 after they became angry at finding out that Ravenscroft had begun working as a school bus driver.

Detective Constable Kirsty Simcox, based at the Public Protection Unit at Rochdale Police Station, said: "These women have been incredibly brave by coming forward and ensuring that Ravenscroft has been jailed.

"We must not underestimate the strength it took to make that decision but the fact these women wanted to make sure he could not hurt any other child outweighed any misgivings they had and I commend them for that.

"We take all reports of sexual abuse seriously, no matter how long ago they happened and we do everything we can to support those people through the judicial process."

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 872 5050 or 999 in an emergency. GMP has specially trained officers in place to provide a first class response to victims and help support them through the criminal justice process.

St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, can also be contacted on 0161 276 6515. This provides a comprehensive and coordinated forensic, counselling and medical aftercare service to anyone in Greater Manchester who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and people can access them either as a self-referral or via Greater Manchester Police.