“It was like a living nightmare. The only thing that really kept me going through all this was my children …
“The only reason I leave the house is to do the food shop and take the children to school. My confidence is completely gone …
“I have since been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The doctors said it’s because of dealing with trauma repeatedly of what he did to me – it’s so loud. I sometimes hear the children screaming when they’re not. I can’t even do the things I used to do, like watching TV or listening to music, because they trigger it all.”
These are the words of the victim of Christopher Beasley.
Beasley, 33, of Cottingley Drive in South Leeds, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (18 December 2025) after he was found guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of child cruelty and one count of controlling and coercive behaviour.
He was sentenced to 24 years with an extended licence period of five years.
His victim reported him to police in 2022 and an investigation by the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team uncovered a catalogue of offending dating back to 2011.
The presiding Judge described the offending as ‘a campaign of rape’.
Speaking after the sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Josh Holroyd, said:
“I would like to praise the bravery and resilience of all the victims in this case and thank them for their patience and trust.
“The significant sentence imposed on Beasley shows the seriousness of his offending and I hope will give some closure to those involved.
“I also hope it will give others the confidence to come forward and report crimes of this nature to us. We have a team of specially trained officers who work closely with partners to provide support to victims throughout the investigation and are committed to seeing perpetrators brought to justice.”
For more information about reporting rape and serious sexual offences to the police, please see the following page:
This post is based on a press release issued by West Yorkshire Police
While you’re here, can we ask a favour?
South Leeds Life is published by a not-for-profit social enterprise. We keep our costs as low as possible but we’ve been hit by increases in the print costs for our monthly newspaper which have doubled in the last two years.
Could you help support local community news by making a one off donation, or even better taking out a supporters subscription?
Donate here, or sign up for a subscription at bit.ly/SLLsubscribe
