Detective speaks about bravery of victim of sexual assault

“It’s hard to imagine the courage it must have taken to report this.”

A detective has spoken about the bravery of a victim of sexual assault as the offender was convicted in court following a four-year investigation.

On Thursday (21 November) James Clarke was found guilty one count of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

The offences were committed in a property in the Loughborough area on the 24th October 2020. Clarke was 19-years-old at the time. The victim, who is in her 60s, reported the incident to police two days later on 26 October 2020 leading to Clarke being arrested the next day.

The victim had been at the property on the evening of the incident when she had fallen asleep. She reported waking up to find Clarke sexually assaulting her. The victim pulled away but Clarke again sexually assaulted her. The victim told him to stop which led to Clarke stopping. The victim described feeling shocked and confused.

Police Sergeant Isabel Norton, who was the officer in the case, said: “It is hard to imagine the courage it must have taken for the victim to pick up the phone and report this to us knowing the investigation and enquiries which would follow. But by doing this, it allowed us to provide full support to the victim while sensitively carrying out enquiries and gathering the information we needed to. This led to Clarke being charged in April 2021.

“I have remained in contact with the victim throughout. She has shown patience, support and true bravery to help us reach this point at court and I cannot thank her enough for this. While she will never be able to forget what has happened, I really hope this conviction does help in some small way as she continues to move forward in her life.

“Please know that if you are a victim of a sexual offence, support and advice is available to you. Please report to us so that we can help you. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to police, please tell someone you trust. You can also find out more information about support services available to you here - Support after rape and sexual assault | Leicestershire Police.”

Clarke, of Station Street, Wigston has been released on bail and is due to be sentenced on Friday 10 January 2025.