Women speak out as abuser is jailed

“Leon needs to be kept away from women permanently”.

The words of three ‘incredibly brave women’ who all suffered torture and abuse at the hands of the same man.

Yesterday (Thursday 6 February), that man, Leon Bowes, was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 17 years and four months behind bars for a total of 29 crimes.

It comes after a complex police investigation spanning nearly 18 months resulted in Bowes being found guilty of carrying out a string of violent and sexual offences against the women over more than 16 years.

It was in July 2023 that police first became aware of Bowes’ offending after one of the women made a report to police. As officers began to investigate the crimes, they identified other women he had also abused.

Detectives still believe there could be other women who were also abused by the same man.

As the 34-year-old, of Biddle Road in Littlethorpe was sentenced, the three women who helped ensure he is no longer able to cause harm, are able to share the devastating damage he had on their lives.

The identities of the women are protected by law.

“I lived in constant fear of Leon”, said one of the women. 

“I was petrified of him and the level of violence he showed towards me. It was so bad that I no longer recognise myself. I am working with mental health agencies to deal with my trauma, but I have lost years of my life.

“Leon needs to be kept away from women permanently.  He enjoyed the pain and the fear he put me through. I am still not free from the harm he caused but I am slowly starting to heal.”

A second woman added: “I couldn’t do anything without Leon’s say so, it was suffocating. I couldn’t see the control he had over me. There were so many things I should have seen but I was blind.

“He manufactured it to the point that I was helpless without him. He made me so dependent on him. I still live in fear. I feel scared and paranoid all the time.

“Leon needs to be kept away from women. He sees women as beneath him and targets them and uses them for his own gratification.

“I am slowly starting to rebuild my life but the trauma he inflicted lives with me daily.”

The third woman said: “Leon had a huge negative impact on my relationship with my family and friends. He isolated me from everyone so all I had was him.

“To this day the harm he caused me still affects me. A lot of the decisions I have made in life have been grounded in the trauma caused by him.

“Leon has never shown any remorse for that he did to me or the other women and will always continue to deny any wrongdoing. This does not surprise me, I expect it to a degree, but it angers me that he does not take any responsibility for his actions.

“He is a violent and manipulative man who needs to be kept away from women and girls for the rest of his life.”

Sergeant Lorraine Hendrie was the officer in the case and worked with all three women to go through the painstaking process of reliving the trauma inflicted upon them.

She said: “This has been an extremely harrowing 16-month investigation, but I feel so honoured to have worked with three incredibly brave women who trusted me and felt able to share the pain and terror they felt.

"I cannot thank them enough for this. It is because of them that an extremely dangerous, predatory and violent individual will spend many years behind bars and be kept from hurting any other women or girls. Without them, I honestly believe, he would still be subjecting women to the most horrendous sexual, emotional and physical abuse.

“I also believe there are other women out there – perhaps who are reading this now – who have also suffered at the hands of this man. Please know it is not too late to come forward and speak to police. Any further reports will be fully investigated by police.”

As well as gathering the evidence for the case, Sgt Hendrie, along with women’s Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA), were also able to offer valuable support and guidance as the women prepared for the case to go to trial.

One of the women added: “When it came to me giving evidence the judge and jury listened to me - I felt heard.

“But it was extremely tough to listen to Leon try to defend and disprove his actions and there were times I felt helpless. I found the strength though and if it wasn’t for my trust in Lorraine, I am not sure I could have got through it. She made everything that little bit easier and along with my ISVA they made sure I had all the support I needed.”

“For anybody who is suffering or has suffered abuse, please know you are not alone,” added Sgt Hendrie.

“The police can and will help and support you. We are here to listen when you feel ready to talk.”

Following a six-week trial, at Leicester Crown Court, Bowes was convicted on Monday 18 November of:

• Ten counts of rape
• Eight counts of actual bodily harm (ABH)
• Two counts of coercive or controlling behaviour
• Two counts of assault by penetration
• One count of harassment
• One count of intentional strangulation
• One count of threatening with an offensive weapon, bladed or pointed article

Prior to the trial, he also pleaded guilty to:

• One count of affray
• One count of malicious communication
• One count of common assault
• One count of possession of a class B drug

These incidents related to two incidents which occurred on two occasions in July 2023 against one of the women and three people associated with her.

During the trial Bowes was also found not guilty of one count of ABH and no verdict could be reached in relation to another account of ABH.

Click here for further details in relation to the case against Leon Bowes: Man convicted of 25 crimes against three women | Leicestershire Police

Help and support can also be found on our website: https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/