Leicestershire: Man jailed for decade of 'sadistic' exploitation

Lee Smith was sentenced to serve a minimum of 15 years and 110 days in prison

A man who exploited three people over 10 years has been sentenced to life in prison for 26 offences including rape.

Leicestershire Police said Lee Smith's decade of abuse took place between January 2012 and December 2022.

The 43-year-old, of no fixed address, used violence and threats as a way to manipulate and control his victims, who were children when the abuse began.

He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 15 years and 110 days in prison at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.

Police said the abuse was first reported in December last year when the victims - two women and one man - were all in their 20s.

Detectives began investigating and found Smith regularly subjected the two female victims to acts of sexual assault and the man to vicious attacks.

When officers went to arrest Smith on 19 December he barricaded himself inside a property in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and made threats to harm himself and others.

Following a 12-hour standoff Smith was eventually detained.

Cannabis and multiple weapons - including a baton and knuckle dusters - were found inside the property.

Smith was eventually charged with numerous offences and following a three-week trial in June at Leicester Crown Court, he was found guilty of 21 charges:

• Seven counts of rape

• Four counts of actual bodily harm (ABH)

• Four accounts of assault by penetration

• Two counts of controlling or coercive behaviour

• Two counts of sexual assault

• One count of sexual assault of a child

• One count of sexual activity with a child

Smith also admitted to a further five offences:

• Two counts of possession of an offensive weapon

• One count of damaging property

• One count of possession of a class B drug

• One count of affray

'Reign of terror'

Det Con Emma Ball - who led the investigation for Leicestershire Police - said: "Smith robbed these three people of their childhood and for more than a decade of their lives, they were controlled by his sadistic reign of terror.

"It has been truly heart breaking and extremely distressing to hear the horrific abuse the victims endured."

The force's Chief Constable Rob Nixon said: "My thoughts remain with the victims of these horrific offences.

"I thank them for their incredible bravery to work with us to ensure that justice was done in this extremely harrowing case."